Cilag (an acronym formed from the initial letters of Chemische Industrie-Labor AG, engl. Chemical Industry Laboratory AG) was founded in 1936. In 1933 Dr. Bernhard Joos (18 December, 1899 Schaffhausen - 8 June, 1990 Paradiso, Switzerland), a doctor in chemistry, set up a small research laboratory in Schaffhausen, Switzerland and then founded Cilag on 12 May 1936. The first President of the administrative board was Dr. Carl Naegeli (1895-1942), a well-known professor at the Chemical Institute of the University of Zurich. In 1942, because of the death of Dr. Naegeli, Dr. Bernhard Joos himself then took over the top management as President of the administrative board, until he left the company in 1949.

The first discovery of Dr Joos was pyridazil, an azo dyestuff derived from pyridine, which is an analgesic for the urinary tract. By 1952 Dr Joos had discovered seven new chemical compounds and developed them into new products. The company's R&D track record covers discoveries and developments in the fields of biotechnology, central nervous system, women's health, dermatology, anti-infectives and immunology. In 1959, Cilag joined the Johnson & Johnson family of companies.

In the early nineties the marketing organizations of Cilag and Janssen Pharmaceutica were joined to form Janssen-Cilag. The non-marketing activties of both companies still operate under their original name. Cilag continues to have operations under the Cilag name in Switzerland, ranging from R&D through manufacturing and international services.

Cilag

• Ortho Pharmaceutical
• McNeil Laboratories