Biogen Idec, BASF, Merck & Co., Novo Nordisk, Novozymes, and Pfizer. He is a Director of Enzon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Biogen Idec, Inc.. In 2000, he became CEO of Biogen Idec. After the merger, Biogen Idec became the 3rd largest Biotechnology company in the world. Firms such as Google, Microsoft, Amgen, Biogen and Novartis have large offices in Kendall Square. Beginning in 2007, Icahn gradually increased his stake in biotechnology company Biogen. By 1980, a new company, Biogen, had produced interferon through recombinant DNA. In 1978, Weissmann co-founded the biotech company Biogen in Geneva. Biogen was the first company in Boston focused on biotechnology. It was developed by Biogen Inc., which licensed the drug candidate from Neurimmune, its discoverer. Biogen is considered one of the pioneers of the biotechnology industries. Biogen priced the drug at $54,000 per year in the US. It was developed at Biogen, and ultimately marketed by Schering-Plough under the trade name Intron-A. In February 2012, Biogen formalized a joint venture with Samsung, creating Samsung Bioepis. In 2018, also Biogen announced working on a gene therapy product to treat SMA.