California Biotechnology

California Biotechnology Inc., commonly known as Cal Bio, was a pioneering biopharmaceutical company founded in 1982 by Dr. John Baxter and colleagues from the University of California, San Francisco. Headquartered in Mountain View, California, the company was a leader in the early wave of biotechnology, focusing on the use of recombinant DNA technology to develop therapeutic proteins and peptides. Its most notable achievement was the development of Natrecor (nesiritide), a recombinant B-type natriuretic peptide approved for the treatment of acute congestive heart failure. Additionally, Cal Bio developed the 'Nazdel' platform for the nasal delivery of large molecules, which was applied to candidates such as nasal insulin. The company was renamed Scios Inc. in 1992 and was subsequently acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2003 for $2.4 billion.