Lacer began its journey in the late 1940s as a small laboratory with fewer than 20 staff members. Its products back then included «Lacer Vaccine Toothpaste» and «Pantos» sweets, which were designed to increase appetite in children.

Lacer began building up a valuable team of human resources, establishing distribution partnerships with pharmaceutical companies and developing its own original products. The company thrived, despite the challenges it faced at that time: raw materials were very scarce, industrial machinery was obsolete and public services (electricity, telephone, etc.) were so unreliable that the small business basically had to rely on the creativity and tenacity of its managers.

But there were also huge opportunities: no multinationals were operating in Spain at that time and many companies chose to sign partnership agreements with them. In addition, product licences consisted of nothing more than a few sheets of paper while drug prices, which were always controlled by the government, increased only every now and then.

The creation of the social security system in the mid-20th century triggered explosive growth in the pharmaceutical market, which helped provide a boost for strong development at Lacer.

Many of the products that contributed to its growth in the 1960s and 1970s, such as the antihypertensive drug Rulun and the cholesterol drug Plasmaclar, are no longer sold. But others, such as Thrombocid (which has been sold for more than 50 years) and Lacer toothpaste (which is as old as the laboratory itself) continue to play an important role.

All the company’s premises (including the manufacturing plant) were located on Carrer Sardenya in central Barcelona and occupied more than 10.000 m2 of floor space. In 1999, Lacer bought a factory from Olivetti in the Parc Tecnològic del Vallès and, after investing more than 50 million euros in remodelling work, moved manufacturing operations to the new plant.

The company began exporting products in 1971 and focused on Central America. Initially, it sold only prescription products but soon began to enjoy great success selling over-the-counter products as its portfolio of these products grew. Today the group exports to more than 15 countries in three continents.

Throughout the years we have overcome many setbacks and problems by employing the same philosophy: quality in everything we do, meticulousness in our work and consistency in our values. We have launched the best and most innovative products in many therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases, fields in which we are highly specialized. We are leaders in dental hygiene products and have one of the most comprehensive ranges on the market.

Over the years, Lacer has developed into a solid business group. We can look back at our past with well-deserved pride and look to our future with optimism.