Thomas Struengmann built enormous additional value through Hexal and later biotech investing, but he began from a meaningful family pharmaceutical business that he and his brother joined before founding Hexal. [1][2]
A family pharmaceutical business provided the starting platform
Bloomberg says Thomas and his twin brother Andreas joined their father Ernst's pharmaceutical company, Durachemie, in 1979, giving them operating experience and a substantial family-business base. [2]
The brothers later sold Durachemie and founded generic-drug maker Hexal in 1986, according to the reviewed record, so their entrepreneurial expansion began after monetizing an existing family enterprise. [2]
Forbes says Thomas and Andreas co-founded Hexal and ultimately sold the business to Novartis in 2005 for about $7 billion, creating wealth far beyond the scale of the original family company. [1]
The brothers continued compounding capital in biotechnology
Forbes says the Struengmann brothers became early backers of BioNTech and have continued investing in biotech, pharmaceuticals, life sciences and healthcare through Santo Holding. [1]
The reviewed evidence places Thomas between inherited advantage and primarily self-created wealth: the family business was economically meaningful, but Hexal and later investments created substantial additional scale. [1][2]
Sources for background
Sources reviewed Sep 22, 2026.
- Thomas Struengmann & family · Forbes · Mar 10, 2026
- Bloomberg Billionaires Index - Thomas Struengmann · Bloomberg · May 13, 2026
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