G.D. Searle, LLC

G.D. Searle, LLC

Company type	Subsidiary of Pfizer
Industry	Pharmaceutical
Founded	1888; 137 years ago (1888) (as G. D. Searle & Company)
Founder	Gideon Daniel Searle
Headquarters	New York City, United States
Products	Pharmaceutical products
Website	searlecompany.com

G.D. Searle, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Pfizer.^[1] It is currently a trademark company and subsidiary of Pfizer, operating in more than 43 countries. It also operates as a distribution trademark for various pharmaceuticals that were developed by G. D. Searle & Company (often referred to as Searle). Searle is most notable for having developed the first female birth control pill,^[2] and the artificial sweetener NutraSweet. Searle also developed the drug Lomotil, an antidiarrheal medication. One notable alumnus of Searle is Donald Rumsfeld, the Secretary of Defense for George W. Bush in the 2000s. Prior to its 1985 merger with Monsanto, Searle was a company mainly focusing on life sciences, specifically pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and animal health.

History

In 1888 (137 years ago) (1888), Gideon Daniel Searle founded Searle in Omaha, Nebraska.^[3] The company incorporated in 1908 and established headquarters in Skokie, Illinois in 1941.^[3]

Daniel C. Searle served as the chief executive officer and president of G. D. Searle & Co from 1970 to 1977 and initially led efforts to gain FDA approval of the artificial sweetener aspartame.^[4][5]

Between 1977 and 1985, Donald Rumsfeld was CEO, and then president, of Searle.^[6][7] In 1985, he negotiated the acquisition of Searle by Monsanto Corporation.^[8]

In 1993, a team of researchers at Searle Research and Development filed a patent application for celecoxib,^[9] which Searle developed and which became the first selective COX-2 inhibitor to be approved by the FDA on December 31, 1998.^[10] Control of this blockbuster drug was often mentioned as a key reason for Pfizer's acquisition of Pharmacia.^[11]

Products

The company manufactures prescription drugs and nuclear medicine imaging equipment. Searle is known for its release of Enovid, the first commercial oral contraceptive, in 1960.^[12]

In 1996, the FDA removed all restrictions on the use of aspartame, which enabled its use in heated and baked goods. G. D. Searle's patent on aspartame was extended in 1981 and ultimately expired in December 1992.^[13]

References

1. "Pharmacia Merger". Pfizer. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
2. "G.D. Searle Develops the Pill | American Experience | PBS". www.pbs.org. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
3. "Searle family". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
4. "Daniel C. Searle: 1926 – 2007". Chicago Tribune. 2007-11-06. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
5. Broida, Judith K. (April 1991). "Sweet Success: How NutraSweet Created a Billion Dollar BusinessSweet Success: How NutraSweet Created a Billion Dollar Business By McCannJoseph E., Homewood, IL: Business One Irwin. 1990—194 pages. $24.95". Academy of Management Perspectives. 5 (4): 93–94. doi:10.5465/ame.1991.4274756. ISSN 1558-9080.
6. "The Known Knowns of Donald Rumsfeld". International Policy Digest. 2021-07-02. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
7. "Rumsfeld's Remedy for Searle".
8. Greenhouse, Steven (1985-07-19). "Mnsanto to Acquire G. D. Searle". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
9. "Substituted pyrazolyl benzenesulfonamides". Google Patents. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
10. "Drug Approval Package: Celebrex (Celecoxib) NDA# 20-998". Food and Drug Administration.
11. Frank, Robert; Scott Hensley (July 16, 2002). "Pfizer to Buy Pharmacia For $60 Billion in Stock". The Wall Street Journal.
12. Broster, Alice. "60 Years Since The FDA's Approval Of The Birth Control Pill". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
13. Martin, Michael J. C. (September 16, 1994). Managing Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Technology-based Firms. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 18–22. ISBN 978-0471572190.

External links

• Official website
• The Pill