Beecham Group

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 Wellcome to become GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). GSK (and later, Haleon) still uses the Beechams brand name in the UK for its over-the-counter cold and flu relief products.[1]

The Beecham Group plc
IndustryPharmaceuticals
Founded1859
Defunct1989
FateMerged with SmithKline Beckman
SuccessorSmithKline Beecham (now GlaxoSmithKline)
HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
ProductsPhenethicillin, Methicillin
ParentGlaxoSmithKline

Early history

Beecham began as the family business of Thomas Beecham (1820–1907), a chemist. (Beecham would become the grandfather of music conductor Thomas Beecham, 1879–1961.) As a boy, Beecham worked as a shepherd, selling herbal remedies as a sideline.

He later became a travelling salesman or peddler full time. His first product was Beecham's Pills, a laxative, in 1842.[2] Subsequent success enabled him to open a shop in Wigan in 1847.[3] Beecham opened its first factory in 1849, in St Helens, Lancashire, for the rapid production of medicines.[2] Under his son, Sir Joseph Beecham, 1st Baronet (1848–1916), the business expanded, but remained a patent medicine company and engaged in little research.

Expansion and diversification

In 1924, Philip Ernest Hill (1873 - 1944),[4][5] who made his money in real estate, acquired control of Beecham.[6] Under his leadership, the company bought up other companies for their various products and for their marketing infrastructure, acquiring the Lucozade glucose drink and Macleans (toothpaste) in 1938, and, at the same time, introducing the Ribena blackcurrant drink.[7] In 1938, it also bought the company selling Eno which had an extensive international presence.[6][8]: 253  By purchasing the company manufacturing Brylcreem the following year, the company added hair products for men to its offerings.[2]

In 1943, Beecham decided to focus more on improving research and built Beecham Research Laboratories at Brockham Park, Surrey. In 1945, the company was renamed Beecham Group Ltd.[2] in 1953, Beecham acquired C.L. Bencard, which specialised in allergy vaccines.[2]

Antibiotics

In 1959, Brockham Park became famous when Beecham scientists there discovered the penicillin nucleus, 6-APA (6-aminopenicillanic acid);[9] This discovery allowed Beecham, working in tandem with Bristol-Myers, to synthesize a number of new semisynthetic penicillins. Beecham marketed Broxil (phenethicillin), followed shortly by the more potent Celbenin (methicillin), which was active against Staphylococcus aureus. The group continued to focus on pharmaceutical development, producing further semi-synthetic penicillins. However, when Penbritin (ampicillin) came on the market in 1961, Beecham's facilities were soon inadequate for the worldwide demand for the drug. A 35-acre (140,000 m2) complex at Worthing 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) in 1972, which went on to become one of the most widely prescribed antibiotics.[2]

In 1973, Aqua-fresh toothpaste was launched, and in 1977, the Sucrets brand was acquired. Augmentin, an antibiotic used to treat an array of bacterial infections, was introduced in 1981.[2] The Aqua Velva and Geritol brands were acquired from J. B. Williams in 1982.

Later history

In 1986, the Beecham Group sold its numerous soft drink brands including Tango, Top Deck, Corona, and Quosh, as well as the UK franchises for Pepsi and 7 Up, to Britvic.[10] The same year, Beecham acquired Norcliff Thayer from Revlon.

As the turn of the century approached, there were more significant mergers. In 1989, The Beecham Group plc and SmithKline Beckman merged to form SmithKline Beecham plc.[2][11] In 2000, SmithKline Beecham and GlaxoWellcome merged to form GlaxoSmithKline.[12]

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

See also

References
  1. "Get powerful relief from cold & flu symptoms with Beechams". beechams.co.uk. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  2. "Our history – GSK". Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  3. Thomas Beecham at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
  4. https://letslookagain.com/2017/11/beecham/
  5. https://www.londonremembers.com/subjects/philip-e-hill?memorial_id=8963
  6. Tedlow, Richard S.; Jones, Geoffrey G. (2014). The Rise and Fall of Mass Marketing (RLE Marketing) Volume 25 of Routledge Library Editions: Marketing. Routledge. pp. 110–111. ISBN 9781317663010.
  7. "SmithKline Beecham: History" Archived 20 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine, History of Advertising Trust
  8. Wilkins, Mira (2004). The history of foreign investment in the United States, 1914-1945. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674045187.
  9. Batchelor, F.R.; Doyle, F. P.; Naylor, J. H. C.; Rolinson, G. N. (1959). "Synthesis of Penicillin: 6-Aminopenicillanic Acid in Penicillin Fermentations" (PDF). Nature. 183 (4656): 257–8. Bibcode:1959Natur.183..257B. doi:10.1038/183257b0. PMID 13622762. S2CID 4268993.
  10. "Carbonated drinks: a report on the supply by manufacturers of carbonated drinks in the United Kingdom, Chapter 8 para 8.51" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 July 2008. Retrieved 24 July 2008.
  11. "Profile: SmithKline Beecham". BBC. 18 December 2000.
  12. "The Glaxo SmithKline merger". BBC News. 17 January 2000.
  13. "Beechams Powders - Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC)". Medicines.org. Retrieved 19 November 2016. Beecham's Powders is a cold and flu remedy sold in the UK. The medicine is a white powder wrapped in a paper sachet. The powder is mixed with water and then drunk in suspension. The active ingredients are caffeine and aspirin, the effects of taking this remedy are the lowering of body temperature, reduction in aches and pains, along with a mild return of energy. This medicine is often used by people who need to continue working despite having a cold or mild flu.
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