Chiron Corporation (/ˈkaɪrɒn/ KY-ron)[1] was an American multinational biotechnology firm founded in 1981, based in Emeryville, California, that was acquired by Novartis on April 20, 2006.

[1] Chiron formed a partnership with the Swiss pharmaceutical giant, Ciba-Geigy Ltd.,[1] through the Biocine Company,[3][4] to use genetic engineering to develop vaccines and to treat, prevent and diagnose diseases such as AIDS, herpes and malaria.

[6] From 1982–1988, intense successive molecular biology studies at the Chiron Emeryville research labs had been undertaken for the treatment of hepatitis.

[3] Mr Renton resigned in 1992[17] and was replaced by Sean Lance, from Glaxo Wellcome in 1998,[18] and finally by Howard Pien from GlaxoSmithKline in 2003.

[21] This was followed a year later by Betaseron, a beta interferon, the first treatment for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and made by Berlex Laboratories Inc.[22][23] In 1997 Chiron provided the active ingredient, becaplermin, in Regranex, a topical treatment for diabetic foot ulcers, manufactured by Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical Inc.[24] In 2001, Chiron acquired PathoGenesis for its antibiotic drug Tobi,[25] the first inhaled antibiotic approved for treating lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients.

[27][28] In 1998, Chiron's nucleic acid testing (NAT) blood-testing business was launched in cooperation with Gen-Probe, followed a year later by the launch of the Procleix system, which detects viral RNA and DNA in donated blood and plasma during the very early stages of infection, when those infectious agents are present but cannot be detected by immunodiagnostic tests.

When in 1991 Cetus was acquired it was subject to a lawsuit by the Eastman Kodak Company over the rights to the polymerase chain reaction product, which was settled in 1993.

[31] A settlement was reached where Roche Holding A.G. agreed to buy the global semi-exclusive nucleic acid test (NAT) patents for HCV and HIV from Chiron.

[33] In 2004, Chiron attracted adverse media coverage after the UK government suspended its license for manufacturing Fluvirin, an influenza vaccine, at its plant in Liverpool, England due to contamination concerns.

[38][39] Novartis Corporation was the result of a merger between Sandoz Laboratories and Ciba-Geigy in 1996 and owned slightly less than half of Chiron[40] as part of a Federal Trade Commission order.