About Us / History

Overview

HRA Pharma was founded in 1996 by André Ulmann with the vision of targeting and tackling niche sectors in healthcare in order to satisfy unmet medical needs.

During the first three years, Dr. Ulmann built up a small team that succeeded in developing and registering the company's first product, NorLevo® (levonorgestrel).

NorLevo®, the emergency contraceptive pill, was launched in France in 1999; one year later, it was approved for marketing throughout Europe. This product generated such strong interest from a public health perspective that the French authorities immediately enacted policy to make it widely accessible to patients. As a result, it became the first hormonal contraceptive product to be made available without a prescription, and the first to be made available free of charge to under-18 year olds. NorLevo® is now available in over 60 countries worldwide.

Today, HRA Pharma is an emerging European pharmaceutical company with local operations in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. Over the past decade the company has significantly grown its business in the fields of reproductive health and endocrinology.

• The company's reproductive health products include Norlevo^®, a levonorgestrel-based emergency contraceptive, ellaOne^®, a new generation emergency contraceptive, Gymiso^®, a prostaglandin for use in obstetrics and gynecology, Cicatridine^® which promotes vaginal healing, Mona-Lisa^®, a copper contraceptive IUD and other products for gynecological use.
• In the field of endocrine diseases, HRA Pharma commercializes Lysodren®, an orphan drug for the treatment of adrenal cortical carcinoma. Moreover, in order to assist healthcare professionals in the treatment of patients with this disease, HRA Pharma has developed Lysosafe, a free therapeutic monitoring service that helps physicians optimize Lysodren® treatment.