The company's purpose is to acquire, hold and sell participations in other companies. Furthermore, the company's purpose is to develop, manufacture, distribute and trade in chemicals of all kinds, pharmaceuticals, medical preparations, drug formulations, to develop and trade in patents, trademarks, licenses, know-how and other industrial and intellectual property rights, as well as to provide consulting services. The company may grant direct or indirect financing to third parties, including companies in which it is directly or indirectly involved, its direct or indirect shareholders and companies in which such shareholders are directly or indirectly involved, whether in the form of loans or other financing, also within the framework of cash pooling agreements, and it may provide security of any kind for their obligations, also in the form of pledges on or fiduciary assignments of the company's assets or in the form of guarantees of any kind, whether paid or unpaid. The company may acquire, manage, encumber and sell real estate, intellectual property rights and assets of any kind in Switzerland and abroad. The company may establish branches and subsidiaries in Switzerland and abroad and participate in other companies in Switzerland and abroad, as well as conduct all business that is directly or indirectly related to its purpose, in particular in the administrative and commercial fields.