The roots of the Czech pharmaceutical company date back to 1488 with At the Black Eagle's pharmacy (“U Černého Orla”) located in the Prague city center: Malá Strana.

He, together with his brother, an architect Jaroslav Fragner, built and designed a new modern pharmaceutical factory in Dolní Měcholupy, which is now a part of Prague.

During World War II, after Czech universities were shut down following Nazi-occupation, the Fragner factory became a refuge for many notable specialists.

In the early sixties, to satisfy the demand of growing need of dosage forms, the question of upgrading the site to further increase the manufactured amounts was raised.

Later in 1998, Zentiva's management acquired a majority of shares and established a new focus on branded generic medicines.

In the beginning of 2007, Zentiva increased its activity in Hungary and acquired Eczacibaşi Generic Pharmaceuticals (leading Turkish manufacturer).

[6] The year 2008 marked the acquisition of Zentiva by the French holding Sanofi and decided to make it its European generics platform.