The Solvay Group was founded in 1863 to exploit an ammonia-soda process for producing sodium carbonate developed by Ernest Solvay in 1861. Belgium, Solvay Pharmaceuticals, the pharmaceuticals entity of Solvay, is a research driven pharmaceutical company that seeks to fulfill carefully selected, unmet medical needs in the therapeutic areas of cardiology, gastroenterology, mental health and gynecology/andrology.