# Besins Healthcare

Besins Healthcare is a multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Monaco, with over 100 years of expertise. Operating in over 80 markets, including the US under the name Ascend Therapeutics, Besins Healthcare specialises in Women’s and Men’s Health.
Besins Healthcare is manufacturing and developing drugs in a wide range of products including treatments for menopausal symptoms for women and testosterone supplementation for men.

## History
### Early years

Besins Healthcare was founded in 1919 by Abel Besins and Paul Lebeault, who initially produced a medicinal wine: a popular energising tonic of the time. This early venture marked the beginning of the company's journey from a small laboratory to an international pharmaceutical company by the early 20th century.

### Timeline of key events

* 1885: Abel Besins produces a medicinal wine
* 1930: The company changes its name to become “Besins & Compagnie”
* 1972: Launch of Progestogel: the world's first hormone therapy gel
* 1975: Introduction of Oestrogel: the first oestradiol gel for treating menopause disorders
* 1980: Release of Utrogestan: a micronised natural progesterone
* 1998: Antoine Besins initiates a global expansion through international partnerships
* 2000: Androgel is launched as a male hormone replacement therapy
* 2006: The company changes its name to “Besins Healthcare”
* 2022: Under the new leadership of Nicolas and Alexandre Besins, the company undergoes further consolidation and modernisation
* 2023: Inauguration of a new plant in Muel, Spain for the production of reproductive hormones

## Therapeutic areas

Besins Healthcare is focused on health solutions for hormonal-related conditions, with an emphasis on women’s and men’s health.
Women’s health: solutions for fertility, threatened miscarriage, pre-term birth, menopause, endometriosis and complementary medicines.
Men's health: treatments for testosterone deficiency, testosterone-related conditions, semen quality improvement and penis disorders.

## International presence and manufacturing capabilities

The company has five manufacturing facilities, located in Drogenbos (Belgium), Jundiaí (Brazil), Montrouge (France), Yaroslavl (Russia) and Muel (Spain).
The latest one was built in Muel (Spain) and inaugurated on September 20th 2023. These sites are responsible for producing hormone replacement therapies and other pharmaceutical products globally.
Each facility has quality control standards, that span across all locations, to ensure the consistency and safety of its products.

## Sponsorships for sports and ambassadors

Besins Healthcare sponsors several sports initiatives and ambassadors. The company supports Allie Pepper, a mountaineer and global ambassador for menopause education, who aims to summit all of the world’s 8,000+ meter mountains without supplemental oxygen. Besins Healthcare is a major sponsor of Monaco Rugby 7, the 2022 Champions of France in Rugby Sevens.

## Controversy
### AG Rosenblum Sues Pharmaceutical Giants AbbVie and Besins

In November 2022, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum sued AbbVie, Abbott Laboratories, Unimed Pharmaceuticals. The lawsuit alleges that the four pharmaceutical companies, which held the exclusive patent for brand-name AndroGel, filed baseless lawsuits to monopolize the market and prevent competitors from entering, which resulted in much higher prices.

### Federal Trade Commission v. AbbVie

The FTC filed a complaint in federal district court in September 2014 charging that AbbVie Inc. and its partner Besins Healthcare Inc. illegally blocked American consumers’ access to lower-cost alternatives to Androgel by filing baseless patent infringement lawsuits against potential generic competitors. In a June 2018 decision, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ruled that sham litigation was used to create a monopoly.