Menu About us Our history Building brands: 1919 – 1949 Building brands: 1919 – 1949 In the heightened period of consumerism following the First World War, our legacy companies began to consolidate their products, building brand portfolios and investing in consumer advertising. This was also a period of landmark scientific breakthroughs, including the discovery of insulin and penicillin. Beecham’s Powders and Macleans advertisements, c.1930s Maclean your teeth In 1919, during the period of post-First World War consumerism, Alex Maclean’s first toothpaste appeared in British shops, and Macleans Peroxide Toothpaste was one of the first whitening formulas brought to market in 1927. In New York, a Russian immigrant named Alexander Block opened a drugstore in 1907. He acquired several dental product brands in the 1920s and 1930s and developed a special cleansing powder for denture wearers, registered as Polident, in 1935. Don’t let flu grip you In 1926, the second product of Beecham Pills and Estates Ltd. (registered two years earlier), Beecham’s Powders, was released for relief of cold and flu symptoms. During the 1930s, the company expanded, acquiring Eno’s, Veno’s, Macleans, Lucozade and County Perfumers, to build a strong brand portfolio. However, by 1924, Burroughs Wellcome had modified their processes to produce insulin on a large scale from cow pancreas. By 1947, Glaxo Labs (as it was known) had surpassed its parent company in terms of sales and product range, and bought out Joseph Nathan & Co Ltd. Its first chairman was Sir Henry Dale, former director of Wellcome Physiological Research Laboratories. In 1936, Dale won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his landmark discovery relating to chemical transmission of nerve impulses. Ladies plug filled penicillin flasks with cotton wool prior to sterilisation, Glaxo factory, Watford, UK, 1944 Penicillin: the gamechanger Penicillin had been developed into an antibiotic medicine during the 1930s. By 1944, Glaxo owned four UK facilities dedicated to producing penicillin, including one split-funded with Wellcome, that produced 7.5 billion units of penicillin annually. Approximately 80% of UK penicillin production was routed through Glaxo’s Greenford site. In 1945, Beecham Group established the Beecham Research Laboratories, its R&D arm. In 1947, a new site was opened in a ceremony officiated by Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin. RSS Other GSK websites Market website selector GSKPro for healthcare professionals GSK Study Register Quick links COVID-19 response Behind the science About us Products Careers Investors Media Research and development Responsibility Accessibility/legal Accessibility Terms of use Cookie policy Privacy notice Modern Slavery Act statement 2020 PDF - 191.4KB Sitemap Contact us Contact us Partnerships Report a possible side effect Business to business Supplier website Business to business This is our global website, intended for visitors seeking information on GSK’s worldwide business. Our market sites can be reached by visiting our market selector. © 2001-2021 GlaxoSmithKline plc. All rights reserved. Trade marks are owned by or licensed to the GSK group of companies. GlaxoSmithKline plc. Registered in England and Wales No. 3888792. Registered office: 980 Great West Road, Brentford, Middlesex, TW8 9GS, United Kingdom. We use cookies GSK values your privacy and your trust is important to us. We use cookies to enhance your website experience. Some cookies are necessary to run the website. Others are optional: performance cookies show us how you use our website and features; functional cookies remember your preferences; and advertising cookies help us share relevant content.Cookie Policy Show detail ❮ OPT OUT ACCEPT ALL