History

1973: Aquafresh toothpaste is launched by Beecham. It quickly became known for its stripes where the first two were for fighting tooth decay and fresh breath and the third stripe, added in 1981, was to promote healthy gums

1970: Ciba-Geigy is formed through the merger of the two companies

1968: Fenistil, a gel to reduce skin itching, is launched by Ciba    

1963: A.H. Robins acquires ChapStick from Morton Manufacturing Co.    

1961: Sensodyne, a toothpaste to reduce the sensitivity of teeth, is launched by Block Drug

1960: TheraFlu is launched by Sandoz for the relief of cold and flu symptoms

1960: Contac, medication for allergy and cold and flu symptoms launched by SmithKline & French. It became the world’s bestselling cold and allergy treatment

1956: Otrivin is launched by Ciba for the relief of nasal congestion

1955: Panadol, the first paracetamol-only pain relief medicine, is launched by Sterling Drug

1949: Robitussin is launched by Robins

1947: Joseph Nathan Company (founded in 1873) was bought by Glaxo Laboratories. Joseph Nathan & Company was founded in New Zealand, selling various merchandise coming off ships arriving from London

1946: Poli-Grip is launched by Block Drug, as a dental aid to keep dentures in place

1938: Beecham acquired Eno, including Scott's Emulsion, giving them worldwide coverage

1937: Dr. Focke launched Para-Dentax, a herbal-based anti-inflammatory toothpaste, in Germany. In the early 1960s it is renamed Parodontax. The brand is acquired by Block Drug in 1995

1930: Lewis-Howe company founded and started selling TUMS from a factory in St. Louis

1923: Sterling Products acquired Phillips Milk of Magnesia and Andrew's Liver Salts

1919: Macleans toothpaste is launched. In 1927 this whitening toothpaste becomes one of the first whitening formulas on the market

1909: Albert H. Diebold and William Weiss begin buying patent medicine companies, this company becomes American Home Products in 1926 and is headquartered in New York

1906: Glaxo brand was registered by for dried milk powder for infants and later became the name of the company   

1901: Neuralgyline founded by Albert H. Diebold and William E. Weiss in West Virginia, which was renamed Sterling Products in 1915 and Sterling Drug in 1942

1894: Andrew's Liver Salts were introduced by Scott and Turner for indigestion or over-indulgence

1872: Charles Henry Phillips started to sell Phillips Milk of Magnesia for treating heartburn and indigestion

1852: James Crossley Eno started to produce Eno’s Fruit Salts. After they became popular with sailors to combat seasickness, he opened a factory in Newcastle in 1868

1848: Thomas Beecham launched his Beecham’s Pills business in the north of England. His pills became one of the most popular laxatives and led to him building what is claimed to be the first electric-powered factory in the UK in 1887

1847: John David Stief­­el established a candle company in Germany which later began making medicinal soaps. They were so popular he began to export them in the 1880s and opened a US business in 1910. During this era, the company sold over 100 different products in countries across the world. Stiefel was acquired by GSK in 2009

1830: John K. Smith opens his first drug store in Philadelphia, selling consumer medicines, which would later become Smith, Kline & French Company

1758: Johann Rudolf Geigy-Gemuseus founds a company in Basel to sell materials, chemicals, dyes and drugs of all kinds. It becomes known as Geigy

1715: The Plough Court Pharmacy opened in London by Silvanus Bevan, at this time they sold direct to consumers as well as making up prescriptions from doctors. In 1856 this business became Allen & Hanburys after passing to Bevan’s descendants and their business partners