OM Pharma is a Swiss multinational biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Geneva.
In 2020, the company became part of Optimus Holding, led by Etienne Jornod.In 2021, OM Pharma received the Geneva Economy Award. OM Pharma is the only pharmaceutical company that manufactures in Geneva.
The company specializes in developing and commercializing bacterial lysate-based products designed to help prevent respiratory and urinary tract infections by enhancing the immune system. Its research pipeline includes future applications of lysates.
OM Pharma traces its origins to Barcelona in 1930, when French pharmacist Jean-René Ricard founded a small pharmaceutical laboratory focused on biologically derived medicines. The outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 forced the Ricard family to leave Spain, and in 1937 the company relocated to Geneva, Switzerland. At that point the business was renamed OM Pharma, with OM standing for the Latin expression Omnia Medicamenta, meaning all medicines.
In 1970, OM Pharma relocated its main operations to Meyrin, where the company continues to operate. In 2009, it was acquired by Galenica, a part of the Vifor Pharma Group.
In 2020, OM Pharma was acquired by Optimus Holding, led by former Vifor Pharma Executive Chairman Etienne Jornod with a consortium of inverstors. As part of the transaction, Optimus Holding committed to investing over CHF 250 million to enhance the companyâÂÂs manufacturing and research capabilities. Since 2024, Roch Ogier has served as the companyâÂÂs CEO.
OM Pharma employs over 400 people, with its global headquarters and biotech campus located in Meyrin, Geneva, and an affiliate in Villars-sur-Glâne, Fribourg.
The company also operates in Peru through an affiliate in Lima and maintains a sales force in Central America, covering Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and the Dominican Republic.
OM PharmaâÂÂs products include:
TIGER: The TIGER study is a randomised, placebo-controlled, 3-arm, double-blind, multicentre, Phase 4 study to assess the efficacy of OM-85 short- and long-term treatment vs. placebo in the prevention of respiratory tract infections in children aged 6-12 years with asthma. About 50 sites are participating across China and Hong Kong.
Broncho-Vaxom Efficacy Assessment in Respiratory tract infections (BEAR): BEAR is a randomised, placebo-controlled, 3-arm, double-blind, multi-centre, Phase 4 study to assess the efficacy of OM-85 (Broncho-Vaxom) short- and long-term treatment vs. placebo in the prevention of respiratory tract infections, in children aged between 6 months and 5 years with wheezing lower respiratory illness. About 40 sites are participating across Europe, including in Hungary, Poland, UK, Switzerland, Italy and Germany.
Efficacy Assessment in recurrent wheezinG chiLdrEn (EAGLE): EAGLE is a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multicenter, Phase 2b study to assess the efficacy and safety of daily OM-85 treatment vs. placebo in children aged 6 months to 5 years with recurrent wheezing.