1941 – 2003 Zentiva a.s., Hlohovec – from morphine to a wide product range The history of pharmaceutical production in Slovakia started in 1941, when Slovenské alkaloidy, a morphine manufacturing company, was established in Bratislava. One year later the company bought all former automotive factories in Hlohovec. From 1946 until 1949, the Slovak pharmaceutical industry went through an extensive transformation – Slovenské alkaloidy and the Piešťany-based Facet plant were integrated to Lúčobné a farmaceutické závody based in Hlohovec.
An independent state-owned drug manufacturing company named Slovakofarma was established on January 1, 1950. Although it initially reported to the Area Directorate of the Chemical Industry in Bratislava, in 1952 it became part of an organisation that grouped all pharmaceutical companies in Czechoslovakia and reported to the Ministry of the Chemical Industry in Prague.
In 1954, just like all other pharmaceutical companies, Slovakofarma was “taken out” of the chemical industry and became part of the healthcare industry, reporting to the Supreme Drug Production Administration Office. Still in the same year, the company became part of the organisation structure of SPOFA (Sdružení podniků pro zdravotnickou výrobu - association of healthcare production enterprises).
In 1992 Slovakofarma was transformed to Slovakofarma Hlohovec, a joint stock company fully owned by the National Property Fund of the Slovak Republic. Two years later the company was privatised – the main shareholder was Vienna-based S.L. Pharma Holding GmbH.
In 2003 a majority share in the company was acquired by the American investment funds Warburg Pincus LLC and, still in the same year, the company was integrated to the newly established Zentiva group. As a result, the company name was changed to Zentiva, a.s., Hlohovec.
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