At Ciba-Geigy decisions were made by an executive committee that often produced tepid compromises.

FORBES: Reviving Novartis

Geigy, began as a dye producer and went onto become Novartis the drug maker, BASF, IG Farben.

FORBES: Free Markets Versus Intervention: Time to Move On?

The American authorities similarly imposed tough conditions on the merger of two Swiss drug firms, Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz.

ECONOMIST: Distrustful

Sandoz and Ciba-Geigy were plodding, risk-averse and assiduously Swiss companies that often got trounced by faster, fiercer U.S. rivals.

FORBES: Reviving Novartis

Isis landed its first deal in 1990, with Ciba-Geigy (now part of Novartis), to develop a lung cancer drug.

FORBES: Antisense and Sensibility

Vasella found a couple of other hot prospects in Ciba-Geigy's labs.

FORBES: Reviving Novartis

Despite the turmoil, the Novartis board chose to offer Vasella, who oversaw the merger between Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz that created Novartis, an eye-popping amount of money.

FORBES: The Novartis Board Insulted Shareholders With Hush Money For Dan Vasella

One of the most successful mergers in pharmaceuticals, between Sandoz and Ciba Geigy to form Novartis, was between two firms whose closeness of approach was the greater for being based in the same Swiss town (and doubtless run by chaps who had done national service together).

ECONOMIST: How to make mergers work