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

History

In 1830,

John K. Smith John K. Smith (died 1845) was an American pharmacist and businessman, who was the founder of ''SmithKline'' as in GlaxoSmithKline Smith trained as a druggist, and joined his brother-in-law, John Gilbert, in 1830 to open a dispensing chemist at 296 ...

opened a drugstore in Philadelphia, and his younger brother, George, joined him in 1841 to form John K Smith & Co. In 1865,

Mahlon Kline Mahlon ( ''Maḥlōn'') and Chilion (כִּלְיוֹן ''Ḵilyōn'') were two brothers mentioned in the Book of Ruth. They were the sons of Elimelech of the tribe of Judah and his wife Naomi. Together with their parents, they settled in the lan ...

joined ''Smith and Shoemaker'', as John K Smith and Co had become in the meantime, 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. In 1929 ''Smith, Kline and French Company'' was renamed into ''Smith Kline and French Laboratories'' and the company put more focus on research in order to sustain its business. In 1932, SKF chemist

Gordon Alles Gordon A. Alles (November 26, 1901 – January 21, 1963), was an American chemist and pharmacologist who did extensive research on the isolation and properties of insulin for the treatment of diabetics. He is also credited with discovering and pub ...

was awarded a patent for

amphetamine Amphetamine (contracted from alpha- methylphenethylamine) is a strong central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), narcolepsy, and obesity. It is also commonly used ...

. In 1968, the company acquired Recherche et Industrie Thérapeutiques in Belgium and changed its name in ''SmithKline-RIT''. SmithKline acquired Allergan in 1982, an eye and skincare business, and merged with

Beckman Instruments, Inc. Beckman Coulter Inc. is a Danaher Corporation company that develops, manufactures, and markets products that simplify, automate and innovate complex biomedical testing. It operates in two industries: Diagnostics and Life Sciences. For more than ...

, a company specialising in diagnostics and measurement instruments and supplies. After the merger the company was renamed ''SmithKline Beckman''. SmithKline Beckman and

The Beecham Group plc The Beecham Group plc was a British pharmaceutical company. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. Beecham, after having merged with American pharmaceutical company SmithKline Beckman to become SmithKline Beecham, merged with Glaxo We ...

merged in 1989 to form SmithKline Beecham plc. In 2000, SmithKline Beecham merged with Glaxo Wellcome to form

GlaxoSmithKline GSK plc, formerly GlaxoSmithKline plc, is a British multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with global headquarters in London, England. Established in 2000 by a merger of Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham. GSK is the ten ...

(GSK).

References

External links

History of GSK
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Kline and French Pharmaceutical companies disestablished in 2000 Defunct pharmaceutical companies of the United States GSK plc 1830 establishments in Pennsylvania 2000 mergers and acquisitions