GSK plc
Company History
GSK History: Founding, Growth & Key Milestones
Founded 1715 in London, United Kingdom
When was GSK founded?
GSK was founded in 1715 in London, United Kingdom by Silvanus Bevan, Joseph Nathan, John K. Smith, Mahlon Kline and Henry Wellcome, making it 311 years old.
- Founded
- 1715
- Founding place
- London, United Kingdom
- Founders
- Silvanus Bevan, Joseph Nathan, John K. Smith, Mahlon Kline and Henry Wellcome
- Headquarters today
- London, United Kingdom
- Milestones documented
- 14 (1715–2026)
- Current CEO
- Luke Miels
- Acquisitions
- 4
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1715 | Silvanus Bevan opens Plough Court pharmacy |
| 1830 | John K. Smith opens a Philadelphia drugstore |
| 1880 | Burroughs Wellcome & Co. founded |
| 1904 | Glaxo dried milk launched in New Zealand |
| 1958 | Glaxo acquires Allen & Hanburys |
| 1995 | Glaxo merges with Wellcome |
| 2000 | GlaxoSmithKline formed |
| 2015 | Consumer healthcare joint venture with Novartis |
| 2017 | Shingrix approved; Emma Walmsley becomes CEO |
| 2022 | Haleon demerged |
| 2023 | Arexvy approved |
| 2025 | Exdensur and Blenrep approved in the US |
| 2026 | Luke Miels becomes CEO |
| 2026 | Nuvalent acquisition completed |
- Where was GSK founded?
- GSK was founded in London, United Kingdom in 1715.
- Who founded GSK?
- GSK was founded by Silvanus Bevan, Joseph Nathan, John K. Smith, Mahlon Kline and Henry Wellcome.
- When did GSK start?
- GSK was founded in 1715.
- How old is GSK?
- GSK is 311 years old as of 2026.
Founding Story
GSK's oldest root is the Plough Court pharmacy that Silvanus Bevan opened in London in 1715, which later became Allen & Hanburys. In Philadelphia, John K. Smith opened a drugstore in 1830 that grew into Smith, Kline & French. Thomas Beecham began selling Beecham's Pills in England in 1842, Burroughs Wellcome & Co. was founded in London in 1880, and Joseph Nathan & Co. in New Zealand began producing Glaxo dried milk in 1904. Burroughs Wellcome scientists developed AZT, approved in 1987 as the first HIV treatment. Glaxo bought Wellcome in 1995, and Glaxo Wellcome merged with SmithKline Beecham in December 2000 to form GlaxoSmithKline, renamed GSK in 2022.
Founders
Silvanus Bevan
Silvanus Bevan was a Quaker apothecary who opened a pharmacy at Plough Court in the City of London in 1715. The business later became Allen & Hanburys, a respiratory-medicine specialist that Glaxo acquired in 1958, which is why GSK dates its history to 1715. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Joseph Nathan
Joseph Nathan emigrated from London to New Zealand and founded a general trading business in Wellington. In 1904 the firm began producing dried milk at Bunnythorpe and sold it as baby food under the Glaxo name. Glaxo later moved to London, expanded into vitamins and pharmaceuticals, and in the 1940s produced penicillin. Glaxo Laboratories became one of the companies that formed Glaxo Wellcome in 1995 and GlaxoSmithKline in 2000. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
John K. Smith
John K. Smith opened a drugstore in Philadelphia in 1830. Mahlon Kline joined the business as a bookkeeper in 1865, it became Smith, Kline & Co. in 1875, and Smith, Kline & French after acquiring French, Richards & Co. in 1891. SmithKline merged with Beecham in 1989 to form SmithKline Beecham, which combined with Glaxo Wellcome in 2000. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Mahlon Kline
Mahlon Kline joined John K. Smith's Philadelphia drug business as a bookkeeper in 1865 and became a partner as it grew into a wholesale and manufacturing company, renamed Smith, Kline & Co. in 1875. The firm later became Smith, Kline & French, one of the main US predecessors of GSK. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Henry Wellcome
Henry Wellcome was a US-born pharmacist who co-founded Burroughs Wellcome & Co. with Silas Burroughs in London in 1880. The company popularised compressed tablets under the 'Tabloid' trademark and later funded major research laboratories. After Wellcome's death in 1936 his shares passed to the Wellcome Trust. Burroughs Wellcome scientists developed AZT for HIV, and Glaxo acquired Wellcome in 1995. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Key Milestones
Silvanus Bevan opens Plough Court pharmacy
Silvanus Bevan opens a pharmacy at Plough Court in London, the business that later became Allen & Hanburys and GSK's oldest root.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgJohn K. Smith opens a Philadelphia drugstore
John K. Smith's Philadelphia drugstore is the start of the business that became Smith, Kline & French.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgBurroughs Wellcome & Co. founded
Henry Wellcome and Silas Burroughs found Burroughs Wellcome & Co. in London.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgGlaxo dried milk launched in New Zealand
Joseph Nathan & Co. begins producing dried milk at Bunnythorpe, New Zealand, sold under the Glaxo name.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgGlaxo acquires Allen & Hanburys
Glaxo buys Allen & Hanburys, bringing the Plough Court lineage and a respiratory business into the group.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgGlaxo merges with Wellcome
Glaxo acquires Wellcome plc to form Glaxo Wellcome.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgGlaxoSmithKline formed
Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham merge in December 2000 to create GlaxoSmithKline, headquartered in the UK.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgConsumer healthcare joint venture with Novartis
GSK and Novartis combine their consumer health businesses in a joint venture majority-owned by GSK, as part of an asset swap in which GSK sold its oncology portfolio to Novartis.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgShingrix approved; Emma Walmsley becomes CEO
Emma Walmsley becomes CEO in April 2017, and the FDA approves the Shingrix shingles vaccine in October 2017.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgHaleon demerged
GSK demerges its consumer health business as Haleon plc in July 2022 and shortens its name to GSK plc.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgArexvy approved
The FDA approves Arexvy in May 2023 as the first RSV vaccine for adults aged 60 and older.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgExdensur and Blenrep approved in the US
GSK wins US approvals including Blujepa (March), Blenrep (October) and the twice-yearly asthma biologic Exdensur (December 2025).
Source: us.gsk.comLuke Miels becomes CEO
Luke Miels succeeds Emma Walmsley as Chief Executive Officer on January 1, 2026.
Source: gsk.comNuvalent acquisition completed
GSK completes its $10.6 billion acquisition of Nuvalent in July 2026, adding the lung-cancer drugs Jideytro and neladalkib.
Source: gsk.comMajor Acquisitions
Nuvalent
2026Adds the targeted lung-cancer medicines Jideytro (zidesamtinib) and neladalkib.
efimosfermin alfa (from Boston Pharmaceuticals)
2025Phase III-ready candidate for steatotic liver disease, including MASH.
IDRx
2025Adds IDRX-42, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor for gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST).
Sierra Oncology
2022Adds momelotinib for myelofibrosis patients with anaemia.
Keep researching GSK
GSK Company History FAQ
What are the major historical eras of GSK plc over its three-century heritage?
GSK's history spans its 18th-century apothecary founding (1715), the industrial antibiotic and Tagamet discovery era (1900s-1970s), the mega-merger of Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham (2000), the vaccine expansion and Novartis asset swap era under Andrew Witty (2008-2016), and the pure-play biopharma transformation, Haleon demerger, and RSV vaccine era under Dame Emma Walmsley (2017-present).
How did Glaxo discover Zantac (ranitidine) in 1981 and become the world's largest pharmaceutical company?
In 1981, Glaxo launched Zantac (ranitidine), an improved H2-receptor antagonist for peptic ulcers with fewer side effects than Tagamet. Zantac became the bestselling prescription medication in the world, generating billions in annual sales and propelling Glaxo to the #1 global pharmaceutical ranking.
What role did Burroughs Wellcome play in developing the world's first HIV treatment, AZT (Retrovir)?
In 1985, Burroughs Wellcome researchers identified zidovudine (AZT / Retrovir) as the first effective antiretroviral drug against HIV. Approved by the FDA in 1987 in record time, AZT transformed HIV/AIDS from an untreatable death sentence into a manageable medical condition.
What was the historic impact of the 2000 merger between Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham?
The December 2000 merger brought together world-leading research centers across the UK and US, creating a scientific colossus with large global reach in asthma inhalers (Advair/Seretide), antibiotics (Augmentin), vaccines, and central nervous system medicines.
How did GSK develop the world's first malaria vaccine, Mosquirix (RTS,S)?
In partnership with PATH and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, GSK spent over 35 years and hundreds of millions developing Mosquirix (RTS,S/AS01), the world's first approved vaccine against Plasmodium falciparum malaria, recommended by the WHO in 2021 for children in sub-Saharan Africa.
How did GSK rebrand from 'GlaxoSmithKline plc' to 'GSK plc' in 2022?
In May 2022, preceding the spin-off of Haleon, the company officially rebranded from GlaxoSmithKline to 'GSK plc', unveiling a sleek new curved logo and visual identity symbolizing the fusion of human bioscience, technology, and adaptive immune precision.
How did GSK contribute to global pandemic response and supply chain resilience during COVID-19?
GSK supplied its proprietary AS03 pandemic vaccine adjuvant to international vaccine partners (such as Sanofi and Medicago), commercialized the monoclonal antibody treatment Xevudy (sotrovimab), and invested heavily in domestic vaccine manufacturing infrastructure.
What are GSK's ambitious global environmental and health impact targets for 2030?
GSK is committed to achieving net-zero climate impact and 100% net-positive impact on nature across all global operations and supply chains by 2030, while ensuring affordable access to life-saving vaccines and medicines for over 2.5 billion people worldwide.
How did GSK start?
GSK (formerly GlaxoSmithKline) was created in 2000 through a massive, historic merger between two massive British pharmaceutical companies: Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham. Both companies traced their roots back to the 19th century, starting as small apothecaries and soap manufacturers before evolving into global drug developers.
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