| CROMA was founded in the mid-70s in Austria by pharmacists Karin and Gerhard Prinz, a married couple who shared a passion to advance medicine and make it easily available to consumers. Croma-Pharma, as the company was initially called, concentrated its first 15 years in business on registration, import and distribution of a variety of pharmaceutical products in Austria. |
Early years in Ophthalmology
| After developing the first in-licensed active substance for glaucoma treatment, CROMA redirected its mission and began specializing in ophthalmology with a focus on the distribution of intra ocular lenses (IOL) and manufacturing syringes filled with viscoelastics under sterile conditions. From this initiative, Croma has since produced over 16 million syringes. |
| In 1995 Croma-Pharma was certified as one of the first manufacturers of medical devices in Austria. Due to growing demand, CROMA relocated in 1999 to Leobendorf on the outskirts of Vienna, where a fully automated manufacturing facility was constructed to accommodate their operation. In 2000 CROMA started to produce visocelastic syringes industrially. |
New business fields: Orthopaedics and Aesthetics
| As CROMA’s operation was prospering, they began to invest in resources to research and develop their own products. In the years to follow, the product portfolio in the ophthalmic sector was expanding at a momentous pace. They were then able to apply their experience in the area of ophthalmic viscoelastics and orthopedics and branch out into other fields of medicine. For example, in 2002 CROMA started to manufacture its viscoelastic product line for arthritis treatment. |
Subsidiaries and Acquisitions
| CROMA entered the international arena with the establishment of subsidiaries in Germany and Poland. In 2007, Croma-Pharma successfully acquired the Swiss company Xcelens® as well as the ophthalmic branch of the French Corneal® group. All these divisions were merged in 2008 under the brand CROMA. |
| On January 1st, 2011 CROMA‘s established its most recent subsidiary, Croma U.S., located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to introduce CROMA products to the American market. With subsidiaries in Belgium, Canada, Germany, France, Spain, Poland, Romania, USA and its domestic market in Austria, CROMA ranks among the most successful Austrian pharmaceutical companies with a global presence. |
