Searle (company)

G.D. Searle & Company was a company focusing on life sciences, specifically pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and animal health.

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The company was founded in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1888. The founder was Gideon D. Searle. In 1908, the company was incorporated in Chicago. In 1941, the company established headquarters in Skokie, Illinois.

Related Topics:
Omaha, Nebraska - 1888 - Gideon D. Searle - 1908 - Chicago - 1941 - Skokie, Illinois

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The company manufactured prescription drugs and nuclear imaging optical equipment. Searle is known for its release of Enovid (the Pill), the first commercial oral contraceptive for birth control, in 1957. It is also known for its release of NutraSweet, an artificial sweetner, in 1981, and Celebrex.

Related Topics:
Enovid - Oral contraceptive - Birth control - 1957 - NutraSweet - 1981 - Celebrex

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In 1977, Donald Rumsfeld was president of the Searle corporation. The FDA did not want to legalize aspartame (NutraSweet) because of its adverse effects on animals in testing. On January 25 1981, (the day president Reagan took office), the previous FDA commissioner's authority was suspended, and the next month, the commissioner's job went to Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes, a defense department contractor. In July, Hayes, defying FDA advisors, approved aspartame for dry foods. In 1983 Hayes, under fire for accepting corporate gifts, left the agency and went to work for Searle's public-relations firm as a senior medical advisor.

Related Topics:
Donald Rumsfeld - FDA - Aspartame - January 25 - 1981 - 1983

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Donald Rumsfeld was CEO of Searle between 1977 and 1981. During his tenure at Searle, Rumsfeld reduced the number of employees in the company by 60%. The financial turnaround of the company earned him awards as the Outstanding Chief Executive Officer in the Pharmaceutical Industry from the Wall Street Transcript (1980) and Financial World (1981). He also received a $12 million bonus when Monsanto acquired the G.D. Searle & Company in 1985.

Related Topics:
Donald Rumsfeld - 1977 - 1981 - 1980 - Monsanto - 1985

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G.D. Searle & Company's chairman was William L. Searle until 1985. William L. Searle was a Harvard graduate and Naval reservist, and was an officer in the Army Chemical Corps in the early 1950s. Directors of G.D. Searle included Andre M. de Staercke, Reuben Richards, and Arthur Wood.

Related Topics:
1985 - 1950

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Searle invited 300 doctors and pharmacists to Orlando, Florida for a winter weekend getaway, to promote its new drug Celebrex, a pain-killer. Searle paid the doctors $500 for coming to Florida and $500 for each speech on Celebrex they gave. Searle invited doctors who were most likely to promote their products. Searle rented out Universal Studios theme park for an evening for the doctors and their families. Celebrex generated roughly a billion dollars in sales during its first year on the market-the first drug ever to attain that mark in its first year out, even though it was no better and sometimes worse than the painkillers already on the market. Critics say the Orlando event was a big bribe to doctors who would advertise Celebrex to other doctors and healthcare professionals.

Related Topics:
Celebrex - Universal Studios

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Monsanto merged with Pharmacia in 1999. The merged company was based in Peapack, New Jersey. Pfizer acquired Pharmacia in 2003.

Related Topics:
Pharmacia - 1999 - Peapack, New Jersey - Pfizer - 2003

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