He invented a laxative pill. In 1842, Thomas Beecham launched the Beecham Pills laxative business in England. For a while he worked as the village postman in Kidlington but in 1842, Thomas Beecham launched the Beecham Pills laxative business in England. Beecham’s Pills claimed to cure ‘bilious and nervous disorders’.
The success enabled him to open a shop in Wigan in 1847. He created a network of agents throughout Lancashire and Yorkshire and Beecham opened its first factory in 1849 in St Helens, Lancashire.
Beecham in 1890 spent over £100,000 on all forms of publicity. By early twentieth century production is at one million pills per day. Having acquired brands such as Macleans and Lucozade, Beechams merges with SmithKline and formed SmithKline Beecham Plc in 1989. In 1998 SmithKline Beecham and the WHO join forces to eliminate lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) by the year 2020.
Beecham pharmaceutical company
