VEB Berlin-Chemie originated from a chemical-pharmaceutical production site established in Berlin around 1890, during the rapid growth of the German chemical industry. In the first half of the 20th century, the facility became part of the broader pharmaceutical sector and was involved in industrial drug manufacturing and research.

After the Second World War, the site fell within the Soviet occupation zone and was nationalised. In the 1950s, it was reorganised as VEB Berlin-Chemie, a state-owned enterprise of the German Democratic Republic. During the Cold War, it became one of East Germany’s key pharmaceutical producers, manufacturing essential medicines such as antibiotics and insulin for public healthcare.

Following the political changes of 1989–1990, the state-owned company was dissolved, ending its role as a volkseigener Betrieb. Its history remains closely linked to the pharmaceutical and industrial development of the former East Germany.