Warner–Lambert was an American
pharmaceutical company
The pharmaceutical industry is a Medicine, medical industry that discovers, develops, produces, and markets pharmaceutical goods such as medications and medical devices. Medications are then administered to (or Self-medicate, self-administered b ...
.
History
Formerly two separate entities, the first company was started in 1856, when William R. Warner founded a drug store in Philadelphia. Warner went on to invent a tablet coating process gaining him a place in the
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...
. William R. Warner and Company Limited acquired several other cosmetics companies in the early 20th century, and was renamed Warner-Hudnut, Inc. in 1950. The second half of the name came from Jordan Wheat Lambert, founder of the Lambert Pharmacal Company of St. Louis, famous for
Listerine. The two companies merged in 1955, to form Warner–Lambert.
Over the years, the company expanded through many mergers and acquisitions to become an international competitor in several businesses. In 1956, Warner–Lambert acquired Nepera Chemical (the makers of Anahist) from the Lasdon family, many of whom then became officers and directors of the merged business.
In 1962, Warner-Lambert bought American Chicle, one of the world's largest manufacturers of gums and mints. The 1965 acquisition of a small cough tablet company in the United Kingdom resulted in the success of the Halls Mentho-Lyptus brand on a global scale. In 1970, Warner-Lambert bought the Schick razor blade company, founded in 1926 by Jacob Schick. In the same year, they also took over
Parke-Davis
Parke-Davis is a subsidiary of the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. Although Parke, Davis & Co. is no longer an independent corporation, it was once America's oldest and largest drug maker, and played an important role in medical history. In 1970 ...
, founded in Detroit in 1866, by Hervey Parke and George Davis. This was followed by acquisitions of
Wilkinson Sword in March 1993, and Agouron Pharmaceuticals in January 1999.
Its subsidiary Parke-Davis marketed the antidiabetic drug
Rezulin, which was approved by the FDA in January 1997 but withdrawn by them in early 2000.
In the end of the 1990s, Warner–Lambert formed an alliance with
Pfizer
Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered at The Spiral (New York City), The Spiral in Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 184 ...
to bring its drug
Lipitor to market. Lipitor launched in January 1997 to resounding success, reaching $1B in domestic sales within its first twelve months on the market. By 1999, Warner-Lambert was in agreement to merge with
American Home Products
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc. was a pharmaceutical company until it was purchased by Pfizer in 2009. The company was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1860 as John Wyeth and Brother. Its headquarters moved to Collegeville, Pennsylvania, ...
, before Pfizer made its own offer to acquire the company. In February 2000, Pfizer bought Warner Lambert along with all of its subsidiary companies.
The headquarters of Warner–Lambert in
Morris Plains, New Jersey, was subsequently used by Pfizer,
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is an American multinational pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical technologies corporation headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Its common stock is a c ...
, and
Honeywell
Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building automation, industrial automa ...
.
References
External links
Warner-Lambert: A History Pfizer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Warner-Lambert
Pharmaceutical companies based in New Jersey
Pfizer
Pharmaceutical companies established in 1856
Pharmaceutical companies disestablished in 2000
Companies based in Morris County, New Jersey
Defunct companies based in New Jersey
1856 establishments in Pennsylvania
2000 mergers and acquisitions
2000 disestablishments in New Jersey
Companies formerly listed on the New York Stock Exchange