KEY OC DATES: Founded in Los Angeles in 1948. Opened a 30,000-square-foot plant in Santa Ana by 1960. Purchased 24 acres from the Irvine Ranch Company to build a production facility there in 1968, officially moving its headquarters to Irvine in 1971—the same year it went public.
LEGACY LEADERSHIP: Gavin Herbert
HQ: Irvine
OC SIGNIFICANCE: Helped establish Orange County as center for medical aesthetics and pharmaceuticals. Gained reputation as an eye-care startup in Los Angeles, producing the first antihistamine eye drop in the U.S. marketed under the name “Allergan,” before moving to OC in the 1960s and establishing a campus in Irvine that has grown to 54 acres and still remains its global headquarters today. Has gained worldwide recognition through its acquisition and commercialization of Botox. Originally developed for eye muscle disorders, the company was able to get FDA approval for wrinkles. Product now dominates the market and holds approximately 60% share of the global Botox market, according to officials.
DEFINING MOMENTS: Acquired by Ireland-based Actavis in 2015 in a deal valued at $70.5B, adopting the Allergan name and ending a hostile takeover attempt by Valeant Pharmaceuticals. Was acquired by Chicago-based AbbVie Inc. in 2020 for nearly $63B.
BY THE NUMBERS: Botox sales went from around $300M before approval to now generating billions of dollars. Last year, accounted for $2.6B in revenue. Estimated to employ 1.6K employees in Irvine.
QUOTABLE: “After being in business for 20 years, it was at that time that I realized we would become successful. I think one of the reasons for Allergan’s success was our focus on recruiting and training smart people.” — Gavin Herbert
