The Beecham Group plc was a British

pharmaceutical company The pharmaceutical industry discovers, develops, produces, and markets drugs or pharmaceutical drugs for use as medications to be administered to patients (or self-administered), with the aim to cure them, vaccinate them, or alleviate sympto ...

. It was once a constituent of the

FTSE 100 Index The Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index, also called the FTSE 100 Index, FTSE 100, FTSE, or, informally, the "Footsie" , is a share index of the 100 companies listed on the London Stock Exchange with (in principle) the highest market ...

. Beecham, after having merged with American pharmaceutical company SmithKline Beckman to become SmithKline Beecham, merged with Glaxo Wellcome to become

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). GSK still uses the Beechams brand name in the UK for its

over-the-counter Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are medicines sold directly to a consumer without a requirement for a prescription from a healthcare professional, as opposed to prescription drugs, which may be supplied only to consumers possessing a valid prescr ...

cold Cold is the presence of low temperature, especially in the atmosphere. In common usage, cold is often a subjective perception. A lower bound to temperature is absolute zero, defined as 0.00K on the Kelvin scale, an absolute thermodynamic ...

and

flu Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptom ...

relief products.

Early history

Beecham began as the family business of

Thomas Beecham Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet, Order of the Companions of Honour, CH (29 April 18798 March 1961) was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic and the Roya ...

(1820–1907), a chemist. (Beecham would become the grandfather of music conductor

, 1879–1961). As a boy, Beecham worked as a

shepherd A shepherd or sheepherder is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. ''Shepherd'' derives from Old English ''sceaphierde (''sceap'' 'sheep' + ''hierde'' 'herder'). ''Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations, i ...

, selling herbal remedies as a sideline. He later became a travelling salesman or

peddler A peddler, in British English pedlar, also known as a chapman, packman, cheapjack, hawker, higler, huckster, (coster)monger, colporteur or solicitor, is a door-to-door and/or travelling vendor of goods. In England, the term was mostly used fo ...

full time. His first product was

Beecham's Pills __NOTOC__ Beecham's Pills were a laxative first marketed about 1842 in Wigan, Lancashire. They were invented by Thomas Beecham (1820–1907), grandfather of the conductor Sir Thomas Beecham (1879–1961). Commercial history The pills themselves ...

, a

laxative Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation. Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lubri ...

, in 1842. Subsequent success enabled him to open a shop in

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...

in 1847. Beecham opened its first factory in 1849 in St Helens, Lancashire, for the rapid production of medicines. Under his son,

Sir Joseph Beecham, 1st Baronet Sir Joseph Beecham, 1st Baronet (8 June 1848 – 23 October 1916) was a British businessman. Beecham was the eldest son of Thomas Beecham and Jane Evans. He played a large part in the growth and expansion of his father's medicinal pill busin ...

(1848–1916), the business expanded, but remained a patent medicine company and engaged in little research.

Expansion and diversification

In 1924 Philip Hill, who made his money in real estate, acquired control of Beecham. Under his leadership, the company bought up other companies for their various products and for their marketing infrastructure, acquiring the

Lucozade Lucozade is a British brand of soft drink manufactured and marketed by the Japanese company Suntory. Created as "Glucozade" in the UK in 1927 by a Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Newcastle pharmacist, William Walker Hunter (trading as W. Owen & Son), it ...

glucose drink and

Macleans (toothpaste) 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 tent ...

in 1938 and, at the same time, introducing the

Ribena Ribena ( ) is a brand of blackcurrant-based soft drink (both uncarbonated and carbonated), and fruit drink concentrate designed to be mixed with water. It is available in bottles, cans and multi-packs. Originally of British origin, it was pro ...

blackcurrant drink."SmithKline Beecham: History"
, History of Advertising Trust In 1938 it also bought the company selling

Eno Eno may refer to: Music * English National Opera, London * ''Eno'', an album by Japanese band Polysics * "Eno", a song by X-Wife from '' Rockin' Rio EP'' Organisations and businesses * Eno (company), a Chinese clothing and accessories busine ...

which had an extensive international presence. By purchasing the company manufacturing

Brylcreem __NOTOC__ Brylcreem () is a British brand of hair styling products for men. The first Brylcreem product was a hair cream created in 1928 by County Chemicals at the Chemico Works in Bradford Street, Birmingham, England, and is the flagship produ ...

the following year, the company added hair products for men to its offerings. In 1943, Beecham decided to focus more on improving research and built Beecham Research Laboratories at

Brockham Brockham is a village and civil parish in the Mole Valley district of Surrey, England. It is approximately east of Dorking and west of Reigate. The village lies south of Box Hill, with the River Mole flowing west through the village. At the ...

Park,

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

. In 1945, the company was renamed Beecham Group Ltd. in 1953 Beecham acquired C.L. Bencard, which specialised in allergy

vaccines A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity The adaptive immune system, also known as the acquired immune system, is a subsystem of the immune system that is composed of specialized, systemic cells and pro ...

Antibiotics

In 1959, Brockham Park became famous when Beecham scientists there discovered the penicillin nucleus,

6-APA 6-APA ((+)-6-aminopenicillanic acid) is a chemical compound used as an intermediate in the synthesis of β-lactam antibiotics. The major commercial source of 6-APA is still natural penicillin G: the semi-synthetic penicillins derived from 6-APA a ...

(6-aminopenicillanic acid); This discovery allowed Beecham, working in tandem with

Bristol-Myers The Bristol Myers Squibb Company (BMS) is an American multinational pharmaceutical company. Headquartered in New York City, BMS is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies and consistently ranks on the ''Fortune'' 500 list of the lar ...

, to synthesize a number of new semisynthetic penicillins. Beecham marketed Broxil ( phenethicillin), followed shortly by the more potent Celbenin (

methicillin Methicillin (USAN), also known as meticillin (INN), is a narrow-spectrum β-lactam antibiotic of the penicillin class. Methicillin was discovered in 1960. Medical uses Compared to other penicillins that face antimicrobial resistance due ...

), which was active against ''

Staphylococcus aureus ''Staphylococcus aureus'' is a Gram-positive spherically shaped bacterium, a member of the Bacillota, and is a usual member of the microbiota of the body, frequently found in the upper respiratory tract and on the skin. It is often positive ...

''. The group continued to focus on pharmaceutical development, producing further semi-synthetic penicillins. However, when Penbritin (

ampicillin Ampicillin is an antibiotic used to prevent and treat a number of bacterial infections, such as respiratory tract infections, urinary tract infections, meningitis, salmonellosis, and endocarditis. It may also be used to prevent group B strepto ...

) came on the market in 1961, Beecham's facilities were soon inadequate for the worldwide demand for the drug. A complex at

Worthing Worthing () is a seaside town in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 111,400 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Brighton and Hov ...

came on line in the early 1960s to produce phenethicillin, followed by the ability to produce 6-APA, the base for semisynthetic penicillins. The company continued to add products, and acquire other companies, through the 1970s and 1980s. In 1971 the S. E. Massengill Company was acquired. Beecham launched Amoxil (

amoxicillin Amoxicillin is an antibiotic medication used to treat a number of bacterial infections. These include middle ear infection, strep throat, pneumonia, skin infections, and urinary tract infections among others. It is taken by mouth, or less c ...

) in 1972, which went on to become one of the most widely prescribed antibiotics. In 1973, Aqua-fresh toothpaste was launched, and in 1977, the

Sucrets Dyclonine (Dyclocaine) is an oral anaesthetic that is the active ingredient of Sucrets, an over-the-counter throat lozenge. It is also found in some varieties of the Cepacol sore throat spray. It is a local anesthetic, used topically as the hydr ...

brand was acquired.

Augmentin Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, also known as co-amoxiclav or amox-clav, sold under the brand name Augmentin, among others, is an antibiotic medication used for the treatment of a number of bacterial infections. It is a combination consisting of ...

, an antibiotic used to treat an array of bacterial infections, was introduced in 1981. The

Aqua Velva Aqua Velva is an American brand of grooming products targeted at men. Its best known product is the Ice Blue aftershave introduced in 1917 by the JB Williams Company. History Aqua Velva was first trademarked in 1917 by the JB Williams Company ...

and

Geritol Geritol is a United States trademarked name for various dietary supplements, past and present. Geritol is a brand name for several vitamin complexes plus iron or multimineral products in both liquid form and tablets, containing from 9.5 to 18&nb ...

brands were acquired from J. B. Williams in 1982.

Later history

In 1986, the Beecham Group sold its numerous soft drink brands including

Tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries as the result of a combina ...

, Top Deck,

Corona Corona (from the Latin for 'crown') most commonly refers to: * Stellar corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun or another star * Corona (beer), a Mexican beer * Corona, informal term for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes the COVID-19 di ...

, and Quosh, as well as the UK franchises for

Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi was ...

and

7 Up 7 Up (stylized as 7up outside North America) is an American brand of lemon-lime-flavored non-caffeinated soft drink. The brand and formula are owned by Keurig Dr Pepper although the beverage is internationally distributed by PepsiCo. 7 Up comp ...

, to

Britvic Britvic plc is a British producer of soft drinks based in Hemel Hempstead, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. It produces soft drinks under its own name, and several other brands. Hist ...

. The same year, Beecham acquired Norcliff Thayer from

Revlon Revlon, Inc. is an American multinational company dealing in cosmetics, skin care, fragrance, and personal care. The headquarters of Revlon was established in New York City on March 1, 1932, where it still remains. Revlon was founded by brothe ...

. As the turn of the century approached, there were more significant mergers. In 1989, The Beecham Group plc and

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

merged to form SmithKline Beecham plc. In 2000, SmithKline Beecham and GlaxoWellcome merged to form

. A history of the company, ''Beechams, 1848–2000: From Pills to Pharmaceuticals'', written by Thomas Anthony Buchanan Corley, was published in 2011.

Products

Consumer healthcare

Pharmaceuticals

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beecham (Pharmaceutical Company) Pharmaceutical companies of the United Kingdom GSK plc Companies formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange