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Smith, Kline & French

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Smith, Kline & French
IndustryPharmaceutical
Founded1830 (1830)
FounderJohn K. Smith
Defunct1989; 35 years ago (1989)
FateMerged with The Beecham Group plc to form SmithKline Beecham
SuccessorSmithKline Beecham (1989–2000)
GlaxoSmithKline (2000–2022)
GSK plc (2022–Present)

Smith, Kline & French (SKF) was an American pharmaceutical company.

History

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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.[1]

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.[1]

In 1932, SKF chemist Gordon Alles was awarded a patent for amphetamine.[1]

In 1968, the company acquired Recherche et Industrie Thérapeutiques in Belgium.[2]

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.[1]

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).[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d 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.
  2. ^ "Gates Foundation Finances Leuven University Research for Coronavirus Treatment". The Low Countries. 26 March 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  3. ^ 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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