Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. is a Switzerland-based biopharmaceutical company that was formed as a spin-off entity from the drug giant Hoffmann–La Roche in October 2000. Basilea is engaged in the development of antibacterial and antifungal agents to combat drug resistance.

The company is based in Basel, Switzerland. It has subsidiaries in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 (Basilea Pharmaceuticals SAS), Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 (Basilea Pharmaceuticals GmbH), Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

 (Basilea Pharmaceuticals A/S), the People's Republic of China

People's Republic of China

China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

 (Basilea Pharmaceutica China Ltd), Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 (Basilea Pharmaceuticals Iberia SL), the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 (Basilea Pharmaceuticals Ltd.), and the United States of America (Basilea Pharmaceuticals Inc.). According to stock filings, it had 196 employees as of June 2007.

Basilea is marketing Toctino (alitretinoin

Alitretinoin

Alitretinoin, or 9-cis-retinoic acid, is an antineoplastic agent developed by Ligand Pharmaceuticals. It is a first generation retinoid. Ligand gained Food and Drug Administration approval for alitretinoin in February 1999.-Kaposi’s sarcoma:...

), for the treatment of severe chronic hand eczema, in Denmark, France, Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The drug is approved in 14 additional European countries as well as in Canada and has been recommended for approval in eight further European countries. It has three investigational drugs in phase III clinical development: ceftobiprole

Ceftobiprole

Ceftobiprole is a 4th generation cephalosporin antibiotic with activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterococci. It was discovered by Basilea Pharmaceutica and was developed by Johnson & Johnson...

, a cephalosporin

Cephalosporin

The cephalosporins are a class of β-lactam antibiotics originally derived from Acremonium, which was previously known as "Cephalosporium".Together with cephamycins they constitute a subgroup of β-lactam antibiotics called cephems.-Medical use:...

 antibiotic

Antibiotic

An antibacterial is a compound or substance that kills or slows down the growth of bacteria.The term is often used synonymously with the term antibiotic; today, however, with increased knowledge of the causative agents of various infectious diseases, antibiotic has come to denote a broader range of...

 with activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium responsible for several difficult-to-treat infections in humans. It is also called multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus...

 (being developed in cooperation with Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson is an American multinational pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company is listed among the Fortune 500....

), isavuconazole

Isavuconazole

Isavuconazole is a triazole antifungal. Its prodrug, Isavuconazonium sulfate is currently in Phase III clinical trials....

, a broad-spectrum triazole

Triazole

Triazole refers to either one of a pair of isomeric chemical compounds with molecular formula C2H3N3, having a five-membered ring of two carbon atoms and three nitrogen atoms.The two isomers are:*1,2,3-Triazole 100px*1,2,4-Triazole 100px...

 antifungal drug

Antifungal drug

An antifungal medication is a medication used to treat fungal infections such as athlete's foot, ringworm, candidiasis , serious systemic infections such as cryptococcal meningitis, and others...

.