Merck & Co.
Germany → USA
Healthcare, Pharma & Biotechnology
Summary
Merck & Co. was established in New York in 1891 by George Merck, born in Darmstadt in 1867 and sent to the United States by his family’s German pharmaceutical house, E. Merck. He built the American operation from a small import business into a major manufacturer of fine chemicals and medicines. During the First World War the U.S. government seized the German parent’s American assets, and the company was reorganised in 1917 as an independent American entity under George Merck’s direction. His son George W. Merck led the firm through the development of streptomycin and the partnership with Selman Waksman that produced the first effective treatment for tuberculosis.
European Contribution
German pharmaceutical chemistry tradition and the manufacturing discipline of the 17th-century Darmstadt house.
American Impact
Built one of the foundational American pharmaceutical companies; central to U.S. antibiotic, vitamin, and vaccine development across the twentieth century.
Timeline Highlights
- 1891 Merck establishes the American branch
- 1917 Reorganised as an independent American company after U.S. wartime seizure
- 1943 Produces the first batch of penicillin
- 1944 Streptomycin developed in partnership with Waksman
- Present Global pharmaceutical leader