| Industry | Pharmaceuticals |
|---|---|
| Fate | Merged with SmithKline Beckman |
| Successor | SmithKline Beecham |
| Founded | 1859 |
| Defunct | 1989 |
| Headquarters | London, UK |
Beecham was a British pharmaceutical company. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. Beecham, after having merged with SmithKline Beckman, merged with GlaxoWellcome to become GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).
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Beecham was the family business of Thomas Beecham (1820–1907), a chemist. He was the grandfather of the conductor also named Thomas Beecham (1879–1961). As a boy, he worked as a shepherd, selling herbal remedies as a sideline. He then started as a travelling salesman or peddler.
Their first product was Beecham's Pills, a laxative, in 1842.[1] Subsequent success enabled him to open a shop in Wigan in 1847.[2]
Beecham opened its first factory in St. Helens, Lancashire, for the rapid production of medicines in 1859.[1] Under Thomas' son, Sir Joseph Beecham, 1st Baronet (1848–1916), the business expanded, but remained a patent medicine company and engaged in little research.
Beecham bought companies for various products, adding the Lucozade glucose drink and Macleans to its product chain in 1938.[1] By buying Brylcreem the following year, it added hair products for men.[1]
In 1943, it decided to focus more on improving its research and built Beecham Research Laboratories.[1] In 1945, the company was named Beecham Group Ltd.[1]
In 1945, Beecham Research Laboratories Ltd. operated from Brockham Park, Surrey.
In the 1950s to 1960s, Beecham, in consort with Bristol-Myers, developed penicillin derivatives: first pheneticillin, then the more potent meticillin (Celbenin). Later, these were followed by Ampiclox and others, as the group focused on pharmaceutical development.
In 1953, it bought C.L. Bencard, which specialized in allergy vaccines.[1]
In 1959, Brockham Park became famous when Beecham scientists there discovered the penicillin nucleus, 6-APA (6-aminopenicillanic acid);[3] this discovery allowed the synthesis of a number of new semisynthetic penicillins. In 1959, Beecham marketed Broxil (pheneticillin), followed shortly by Celbenin (meticillin), which is active against Staphylococcus aureus.
In 1961, Penbritin (ampicillin) hit the market, and soon Beecham's facilities were inadequate for the worldwide demand. A 35-acre (140,000 m2) complex at Worthing came on line in the early 1960s to produce 6-APA, the base for semisynthetic penicillins.
In 1972, Beecham launched Amoxil (amoxicillin), which went on to become one of the most widely prescribed antibiotics.[1]
In 1973, the Aquafresh toothpaste is launched.
In 1981, Augmentin, an antibiotic used to treat an array of bacterial infections, was introduced.[1]
In 1986, the Beecham Group sold its numerous soft drink brands including Tango, Top Deck, Corona, Quosh, as well as the UK franchises for Pepsi and 7 Up, to Britvic.[4] The same year, Beecham acquired Norcliff Thayer, the makers of Tums, Oxy, and Avail.
In 1989, The Beecham Group plc and SmithKline Beckman merged to form SmithKline Beecham plc.[1]
In 2000, SmithKline Beecham and GlaxoWellcome merged to form GlaxoSmithKline.[5]
A history of the company, Beechams, 1848-2000: From Pills to Pharmaceuticals, written by T.A.B. Corley, was published in 2011.