Farmitalia was an Italian pharmaceutical company best known for its parallel discovery with Rhone-Poulenc of daunorubicin and subsequent discovery of doxorubicin.^[1] Farmitalia had been founded in 1935 as a joint venture by Rhone-Poulenc and Montecatini.^[2] Farmitalia occupied a position of choice in the world rankings of the profession, not only in Italy, but also at the world level with in particular the patent of Adriamycin, an anti-cancer drug qualified. From its creation, Farmaceutici Italia buys the Schiapparelli factory.^[3]

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In 1978, Farmitalia was merged with Carlo Erba SpA, an Italian pharmaceutical company that had been founded in 1853 by the pharmacist Carlo Erba [it], in which Montecatini had acquired a controlling interest in 1971. The merged company was called Farmitalia Carlo Erba SpA.^[2]

Farmitalia Carlo Erba was acquired by Pharmacia in 1993,^[4] then Pharmacia was acquired by Pfizer in 2003.^[5]

Drugs discovered at Farmitalia that reached the market included (with date of first publication):

• 1960 Sulfalene^[6][7]
• 1963 Daunorubicin^[8][9]
• 1969 Doxorubicin^[1][10]
• 1980 Cabergoline^[11][12]
• 1984 Reboxetine^[13][14]