Alza

File:Alza Plaza.jpg

ALZA Plaza in Mountain View, California

ALZA Corporation was a pharmaceutical and medical systems company.

Background

Founded in 1968 by Dr Alejandro Zaffaroni; the company's name is a portmanteau of his name. ALZA pioneered the field of drug delivery systems, bringing over 20 prescription pharmaceutical products to market, and employing about 10,000 people during 20 years. In 2001, ALZA was acquired by Johnson & Johnson via a stock-for-stock transaction worth US$10.5 billion.

Drug delivery platforms

The company owns the patents on the following delivery platforms:

• Alzamer Depot
• D-Trans
• DUROS implant
• E-Trans electrotransport
• OROS (Osmotic Release Oral System)
• Macroflux transdermal system
• Stealth liposomal

Marketed ALZA Products

2

Locations

ALZA built its first corporate headquarters in 1971, at 950 Page Mill Road in Palo Alto, California, now occupied by law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. In 1999, ALZA moved its headquarters to Shoreline Business Park, where it remained until July 2007, when Johnson & Johnson laid off some of its 600 employees there and vacated the space. The remaining employees were relocated to two buildings elsewhere in the Shoreline Business Park. ALZA is now in operation in Vacaville, California.

Google's Googleplex is located just east of ALZA Plaza. In August–September 2008, Google moved into the ALZA plaza buildings.

ALZA operated a large-scale manufacturing facility in Vacaville, California, and another large-scale facility in Cashel, Ireland.

See also

• Martin Gerstel