Develops and produces biomaterials in Switzerland for the regeneration of bone, cartilage and tissue.
Geistlich Pharma AG
Wolhusen (Headquarters & Production) · Root D4 (Administration) · Baden-Baden · Thiene · Roissy · Beijing · São Paulo · New Delhi · Tokyo · ChatswoodNew on Amplifa
About Geistlich Pharma
Geistlich Pharma AG is a medtech company headquartered in Wolhusen, Switzerland, specializing in medical regeneration. The family-owned company (100% family-owned) develops, produces and markets medical devices and biomaterials for the regeneration of bone, cartilage and tissue. Core products are the bone substitute material Geistlich Bio-Oss®, made from purified bone mineral substance of bovine origin, as well as collagen membranes and matrices (including Geistlich Bio-Gide®, Mucograft®, Fibro-Gide®) based on porcine collagen; in addition, 3-D titanium scaffolds (Yxoss CBR®) are marketed. Manufacturing comprises validated chemico-physical purification processes, cleanroom production and gamma sterilization. Fields of application are regenerative dentistry, orthopedics/sports medicine, infectiology and Advanced Wound Care. Products are sold through more than 15 subsidiaries and 60 distributors in over 110 regions; production takes place at the Wolhusen headquarters, which has existed since 1899.
- Site
- Wolhusen, Switzerland
- Processes
- Manufacture of bone substitute materials (Geistlich Bio-Oss, Bio-Oss Collagen), Chemico-physical purification of bone mineral substance, Sterilization by gamma irradiation, Manufacture of collagen membranes and collagen matrices (Bio-Gide, Mucograft, Chondro-Gide), Manufacture of 3-D titanium scaffolds (Yxoss CBR), Development and production of biomaterials (bone, cartilage and tissue regeneration), Education/Continuing education (courses, webinars, Regeneration Academy), E-Shop/Distribution
- Materials
- Bovine bone (limb bones, bovine), Porcine collagen (pig), Titanium, Bone mineral substance, Bovine bone (limb bones)
- Certificates
- ISO 13485, ISO/IEC 27001:2022 (ISMS, ICT), EDQM certificate (TSE risk minimization, Ph. Eur. 5.2.8)
- Founded
- 1851
- Employees
- 800+
- Industries
- MedTech, Regenerative Dentistry, Orthopedics/Sports Medicine, Infectiology, Advanced Wound Care, Pharma
- 01
Raw material selection (certified slaughterhouses, bovine limb bones)
- 02
Chemico-physical purification (validated process standards)
- 03
Processing into bone substitute materials, collagen membranes and matrices
- 04
Sterilization by gamma irradiation, sterile double-shell packaging
- 05
Quality inspection and release (ISO 13485)
- 06
Distribution via subsidiaries and distributors
Materials & Processes
Bovine bone (limb bones)
Raw material for the bone substitute material Geistlich Bio-Oss®, sourced from countries with negligible BSE risk.
Porcine collagen (pig)
Basis for collagen membranes and matrices such as Bio-Gide®, Mucograft® and Chondro-Gide®.
Bone mineral substance
Highly purified, organic-free end product with consistent quality after multi-stage purification.
Titanium
Material for 3-D titanium scaffolds (Yxoss CBR®) for contour-accurate bone augmentation.
Locations
Wolhusen
CHHeadquarters & Production
- Materials
- Bovine bone, porcine collagen, bone mineral substance
- Cleanrooms
- Laboratories
- Gamma sterilization
- In-house power generation (since 1899)
Root D4
CHAdministration (D4 Business Village Lucerne)
Baden-Baden
DESales (Geistlich Biomaterials Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH)
Thiene (VI)
ITSales (Geistlich Biomaterials Italia S.r.l.)
Roissy
FRSales (Geistlich Pharma France SA)
Beijing
CNSales (Geistlich Biomaterials Beijing Co., Ltd.)
São Paulo
BRSales (Geistlich Pharma do Brasil)
New Delhi
INSales (Geistlich Pharma India Pvt. Ltd.)
Tokyo
JPSales (Geistlich Pharma Japan K.K.)
Chatswood NSW
AUSales (Geistlich Pharma Australia Pty Ltd.)
Products & Components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacture of bone substitute materials (Geistlich Bio-Oss, Bio-Oss Collagen)Other (Biomaterial manufacturing) | – | – | – | – | Bovine bone, Porcine collagen |
| Chemico-physical purification of bone mineral substanceOther (Biomaterial manufacturing) | – | – | – | – | Bovine bone |
| Sterilization by gamma irradiationSurface | – | – | – | – | Bovine bone, Collagen |
| Manufacture of collagen membranes and collagen matrices (Bio-Gide, Mucograft, Chondro-Gide)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Porcine collagen (pig), Swiss and Australian porcine collagen |
| Manufacture of 3-D titanium scaffolds (Yxoss CBR)Additive | – | – | – | – | Titanium |
Additional services
Quality & Certifications
The biomaterials are manufactured according to a certified quality management system in accordance with ISO 13485. The purification processes are validated (including an EDQM certificate for TSE risk minimization in accordance with the European Pharmacopoeia 5.2.8); the products are sterilized by gamma irradiation and delivered in double-layer packaging.
| Evidence | Wolhusen |
|---|---|
| ISO 13485 | |
| ISO/IEC 27001:2022 (ISMS, ICT) | |
| EDQM certificate (TSE risk minimization, Ph. Eur. 5.2.8) |
History
- 1851
Heinrich Glättli and Heinrich Geistlich found the first glue factory in Switzerland on Lake Zurich (Zurich-Riesbach).
- 1869
Relocation to Schlieren; with 13 employees, production is expanded to include fertilizer made from degelatinized bones.
- 1884
Eduard Geistlich takes over the company and begins international expansion.
- 1899
Acquisition of a production site in Wolhusen, which is converted for glue and fertilizer production.
- 1909
Founding of the family-owned stock corporation Ed. Geistlich Söhne AG by the eight children of Eduard Geistlich.
- 1943
Founding of a pharmaceutical division; in 1945 launch of Decalcit®, the first human pharmaceutical product.
- 1951
100th anniversary; acquisition of Delta-Werke Zofingen and launch of the gout preparation GT 50.
- 1981
Start of collaboration with Dr. Philip J. Boyne on jawbone reconstruction.
- 1986
First clinical results with Geistlich Bio-Oss® are communicated.
- 1987
Geistlich Bio-Oss® receives approval in the USA.
- 1997
Launch of Geistlich Bio-Gide®, the first collagen membrane for dental regeneration.
- 2003
Co-founding of the Osteology Foundation to promote research and education in regenerative dentistry.
- 2004
Worldwide-noted regeneration of a complete lower jaw with Geistlich Bio-Oss® at the University of Kiel.
- 2006–2010
CHF 30 million modernization of the Wolhusen site (cleanrooms, laboratories); international expansion; launch of Geistlich Mucograft®.
- 2010–2018
Subsidiaries in North America, Brazil, Australia and India; launch of Fibro-Gide® and Derma-Gide®.
- 2019–2024
Strategic acquisitions and partnerships, including META Technologies, Lynch Biologics, Bionnovation, O.S.T Développement, ReOss and StimLabs.
- ab 2025
Goal: to improve the lives of over 80 million patients through regenerative dentistry by 2035.