It all began with Marcel Guerbet’s discovery of the first iodinated organic contrast medium in 1901. The company was later founded in 1926 by André Guerbet. Since then it has expanded significantly, thanks to the discovery of innovations that have left their mark on medical imaging technologies and the contrast media associated with them. Today, Guerbet sells a comprehensive range of solutions for diagnostic and interventional imaging.
More than 90 years of passion
Guerbet celebrated its 90th year of activity with all its employees and stakeholders in 2016. A year after doubling in size, following a major acquisition in the United States, the Group continues to grow as one of the leading players in medical imaging worldwide. The Group offers a full range of medical solutions and services – in diagnostic and interventional Imaging – while continuously investing in innovation and its production capacities, in addition to a network of subsidiaries and distributors that ensure a presence in all the principal global markets.
A pioneer and a player in the imaging of the future
Although the history of Guerbet dates back to 1901, with the discovery by Marcel Guerbet of the world’s first iodinated contrast agent, the official creation of the pharmaceutical company dates from November 15, 1926. In 1965 it became SA Laboratoires André Guerbet. From a headcount of 150 at that time, its staff grew to 1,000 in 1990, 1,500 in 2015 and +2,800 today, following the acquisition of Mallinckrodt’s “Contrast Media and Delivery Systems” business in 2015. With this acquisition Guerbet has reached a critical size in each segment and geographical zone with the ambition of entering the world’s top three in medical imaging.
Guerbet recently launched a strategic initiative to develop a new business based on digital technologies and artificial intelligence with two objectives: first, to improve radiologists' productivity, e.g. with diagnostic assistance tools, and second, to obtain a tumor tissue characterization through imaging to better guide treatments or even eventually replace a biopsy.
From France to International Distribution
From a business essentially focused on France in the early 1960s, Guerbet developed its international distribution network greatly from the 1970s onwards. In 1986, Guerbet entered the stock market (on the Paris Stock Exchange second market) to bolster its development. Today, Guerbet is truly an international group, with 85% of its sales generated outside of France.