About Us

History

Bio-Technology General (Israel) Ltd. (BTG) was founded in October 1980 by Professor Haim Aviv and colleagues from the Weizmann Institute of Science in order to take advantage of what was then the new science of genetic engineering. The company was established as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bio-Technology General Corp. in New York, with a primary mission of developing and manufacturing human health care products, primarily those derived from genetic engineering and biotechnology processes. BTG, one of the first such companies in Israel as well as in the world, was initially located in the Kiryat Weizmann Science Park adjacent to the Weizmann Institute.

In addition to its pharmaceutical pursuits, BTG was also involved at the outset in agricultural projects such as animal growth hormones, foot and mouth disease vaccine, Azopirillum, etc., but by the mid 1980’s terminated its agricultural pursuits to focus entirely on human health care products. During this period, BTG Corp. went public on the NASDAQ; BTG Corp. later changed its name to Savient Pharmaceuticals Inc.

BTG obtained initial product regulatory approvals in the late 1980’s and throughout the 1990’s. In 1999, the company acquired a site in Beer Tuvia, built a new facility on the site and during the period 2003-2007 moved to the Beer Tuvia facility and closed the Kiryat Weizmann plant. In 2005, BTG was sold by Savient to Ferring Pharmaceuticals, a privately-held, multinational company headquartered in Switzerland.

Today, more than 400 BTG employees at the Beer Tuvia site are still engaged in the development, manufacture and marketing of health care products derived from genetic engineering and biotechnology processes, and the company is a Center for Excellence in Biotechnology for Ferring’s Development and Manufacturing networks.

BTG in Kiryat Weizmann
Shift to Pharmaceutical Culture, 1990-1997

HISTORIC TIMELINE

1980

BTG founded, work begins on Azospirillum, Trichoderma, Foot & Mouth Disease, and bovine growth hormone

1982

Work begins on NaHA and human growth hormone

1983

Agreement with American Cyanamid on bovine growth hormone development

1985

Agreement with Pharmacia on NaHA development

1987

Move to building 17, Kiryat Weizmann, Rehovot

1988

Human growth hormone approved by Israeli Ministry of Health

1992

Human growth hormone approved by EMEA in first approval by new centralized procedure

1992

Agreement with Ferring on human growth hormone

1993

Human Growth hormone approval in Japan

1995

BIOLON approved in Europe (CE mark)

1995

Human growth hormone approved by US FDA

1997

Recombinant insulin licensed to Bioton and to Diosynth

1998

Agreement with JCR (Japan) on human growth hormone

1999

Beer Tuvia site acquired

2000

Bio-Hep-B (company’s Hepatitis B vaccine) approval by the Israeli Ministry of Health

 

2001

EUFLEXXA / ARTHREASE approved in Europe (CE mark) and in Israel

2002

Refurbishment and qualification of the Be’er Tuvia site

2003

Start commercial manufacturing at the Be’er Tuvia site

2004

EUFLEXXA approved by US FDA

2005

BTG acquired by Ferring

2010

KRYSTEXXA (the drug product for which BTG manufactures the drug substance – Pegloticase) approved by US FDA

2016

REKOVELLE first approved by the EMA for EU

2018

REKOVELLE approved in Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Hong Kong, Mexico, Singapore

2019

REKOVELLE approved in Bolivia, Chile, El Salvador, Honduras, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Korea, Serbia, Trinidad and Tobago

2025

World-wide expansion of REKOVELLE approvals. The product is approved in 77 countries, as of 2025.