Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 1, 2026

Exelgyn

Exelgyn is a French pharmaceutical company which makes and distributes the medical abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol.

Last revised
Jul 1, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
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539 w
Citations
14
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Exelgyn
IndustryPharmaceutical
HeadquartersParis, France
Area served
Worldwide
Productsmifepristone, misoprostol.
Websitehttps://exelgyn.com/

Exelgyn is a French pharmaceutical company which makes and distributes the medical abortion drugs mifepristone (marketed as Mifegyne) and misoprostol.

History

Mifepristone was discovered in France in 1980 by scientists at Roussel-Uclaf, in a pharmaceutical program aimed at the identifying agents acting as antagonists of glucocorticoids; with the observation that it also displayed anti-progestational properties, it was developed as an abortifacient, and was approved for sale in the French market in 1987.1

In December 1996, pharma business news reported Hoechst AG's intent to buy the remaining share of Roussel-Uclaf stock that it did not yet own (43.5%).234

Exelgyn is a firm founded in 1997, and as of May 2026, it was defined by a private partnership structure known in France as an Société par actions simplifiée (SAS).567 It was designed as a single-product company immune to antiabortion boycotts. Its CEO was former Roussel-Uclaf CEO Édouard Sakiz.2

Hoechst announced cessation of its manufacture of the mifepristone in April 1997, and transferred all rights for its manufacture and sales outside of the United States to Exelgyn.89101112

In 1999, Exelgyn won approval to market Mifegyne in 11 additional countries. As of 2024, Exelgyn was reporting that it was distributing mifepristone to 40 countries,13 although its manufacture and distribution in the U.S. market was by Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro.

References

References

  1. Corey E.J.; Czakó, B. & Kürti, L. (2012). "Mifepristone". Molecules and Medicine. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-118-36173-3. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 2026-05-04.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. Bloomberg Staff (1996-12-11). "Hoechst to Buy Rest of Roussel". The New York Times. Bloomberg News. p. D4. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016.
  3. Moore, S.D.; Kamm, T. & Fleming, C. (11 December 1996). "Hoechst to Seek Rest of Roussel-Uclaf; Expected $3.04 Billion Offer Would Add to the Wave of Drug-Sector Linkups". The Wall Street Journal. p. A3.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. Marshall, M. (11 December 1996). "Hoechst Offers to Pay $3.6 Billion for Rest of Roussel". The Wall Street Journal. p. A8.
  5. North Data Staff (2026-05-04). "Exelgyn SAS, Paris, France". North Data (NorthData.com). Retrieved 2026-05-04.
  6. Stripe.com Staff (August 2, 2024). "What to Know About the Société par Actions Simplifiée (SAS) in France". Stripe.com. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
  7. MPAA Staff (2026-05-04). "Société par Actions Aimplifiée (SAS): Ce Qu'il Faut Savoir". Ministry of Public Action and Accounts (MPAA; Economie.Gouv.Fr). Paris, France: Government of France. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
  8. Bloomberg Staff (9 April 1997). "Pill for Abortion Ends Production". The New York Times. Bloomberg News. p. D2. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016.
  9. Jouzaitis, C. (9 April 1997). "Abortion Pill Maker Bows to Boycott Heat; German Firm Gives Up RU-486 Patent; Little Impact Likely in U.S." Chicago Tribune. p. 4. Archived from the original on 18 February 2013.
  10. Dorozynski, A. (19 April 1997). "Boycott Threat Forces French Company to Abandon RU486". BMJ. 314 (7088): 1150. doi:10.1136/bmj.314.7088.1145m. PMC 2126515. PMID 9146386.
  11. Lavin, D. (9 April 1997). "Hoechst Will Stop Making Abortion Pill". The Wall Street Journal. p. A3.
  12. RFN Staff (18 April 1997). "Roussel-Uclaf to Transfer RU 486 Rights". Reproductive Freedom News (RFN). 6 (7): 8. PMID 12292550.
  13. "Our global presence – Exelgyn". Retrieved 2026-05-04.
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