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| Industry | Pharmaceutical |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1830 (1830) |
| Founder | John K. Smith |
| Defunct | 1989; 35 years ago (1989) |
| Fate | Merged with The Beecham Group plc to form SmithKline Beecham |
| Successor | SmithKline Beecham (1989–2000) GlaxoSmithKline (2000–2022) GSK plc (2022–Present) |
Smith, Kline & French (SKF) was an American pharmaceutical company that is now a part of the British group GSK plc.
History
In 1830, John K. Smith opened a drugstore in Philadelphia, and his younger brother, George, joined him in 1841 to form John K Smith & Co. In 1865, Mahlon Kline joined the company, as a bookkeeper. In 1875, he took on additional responsibilities as a salesman and added many new and large accounts, as a reward the company, Mahlon K Smith and Company, was renamed into Smith, Kline and Company.
In 1891, Smith, Kline and Company acquired French, Richards and Company, founded in 1844 by Clayton French and William Richards, which provided the company with a greater portfolio of consumer brands. The combined business became the Smith, Kline and French Company.
In 1932, SKF chemist Gordon Alles was awarded a patent for amphetamine.
In 1968, the company acquired Recherche et Industrie Thérapeutiques in Belgium.
SmithKline acquired Allergan in 1982, an eye and skincare business, and merged with Beckman Instruments, Inc., a company specialising in diagnostics and measurement instruments and supplies. After the merger the company was renamed SmithKline Beckman.
SmithKline Beckman and Beecham Group merged in 1989 to form SmithKline Beecham plc. In 2000, SmithKline Beecham merged with Glaxo Wellcome to form GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).
References
- ^ Glenn E. Ullyot; Barbara Hodsdon Ullyot; Leo B. Slater (2000). "The Metamorphosis of Smith-Kline & French Laboratories to Smith Kline Beecham: 1925-1998" (PDF). Bull. Hist. Chem. 25 (1). University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, School of Chemical Sciences. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
- "Gates Foundation Finances Leuven University Research for Coronavirus Treatment". The Low Countries. 26 March 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
- Petersen, Andrew Ross Sorkin With Melody (17 January 2000). "Glaxo and SmithKline Agree To Form Largest Drugmaker". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
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