Tagamet Chemical Site Named Historic Chemical Landmark

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TAGAMET CHEMICAL SITE NAMED HISTORIC CHEMICAL LANDMARK American Chemical Society and The Royal Society of Chemistry Present SmithKline Beecham with Designation

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- The Pennsylvania site where an innovative SmithKline Beecham process allowed the life-saving drug Tagamet (cimetidine) to become widely available was designated a National Historic Chemical Landmark today by the world's largest scientific society, the American Chemical Society, and Britain's Royal Society of Chemistry.

The innovative chemical process being honored today eliminated tens of millions of dollars per year from the costs of manufacturing cimetidine. Tagamet, a histamine H2-receptor antagonist, has been used to treat peptic ulcer disease and other gastrointestinal disorders by tens of millions of people around the world.

In 1986, Tagamet became the world's first billion dollar drug. Now, Tagamet is an over-the-counter medication in many countries, as well as a prescription product.

"Today, people around the world take for granted this simple treatment for stomach acid and peptic ulcers--but the chemical research and process development that made the treatment possible were major achievements in pharmaceutical history," said Dr. Paul S. Anderson, Immediate Past President of the Washington, DC-based, American Chemical Society. "We're proud to mark this historic site as a landmark to remind us of its great contribution to modern chemistry."

"At SmithKline Beecham, we are proud of our chemical heritage and the recognition from the American Chemical Society and the Royal Society of Chemistry," said George Wellman, PhD, Vice President and Director, Worldwide Chemical Development at SmithKline Beecham. "SB is already applying the newest advances in chemistry to its drug discovery and development programs to speed the next generation of life saving drugs and build on the legacy of award winning medicines such as Tagamet."

Anderson, Dr. Tom Inch representing The Royal Society of Chemistry, and other Society and SmithKline Beecham executives gathered today to mark the company's Research and Development site in King of Prussia, Pa.

To manufacture the new drug at the expected production volume would have required the world supply of expensive lithium aluminum hydride (LAH), according to one source. To meet the challenge, a team of chemists was established that was among the first of its kind in the pharmaceutical industry to manage all phases of the chemical process discovery and development. The technical team, headed by Drs. George Wellman and Lee Webb, worked to produce a cleaner, more cost-effective pathway for synthesizing cimetidine. The manufacturing process was further refined during production in Cork, Ireland, and elsewhere so that tons of cimetidine could be produced economically in an environmentally friendly manner.

A similar Landmark Award recognizing the chemistry which led to the discovery and development of the H2-receptor antagonists was presented at SmithKline Beecham's New Frontiers Science Park in the United Kingdom, on November 24, 1997. In his address at that ceremony, Dr. Anderson called the discovery "an outstanding example of world-class science coupled with clinical significance."

The citation on both Landmark plaques, presented jointly by the American Chemical Society and Royal Society of Chemistry, reads:

"Pioneering work by scientists in the laboratories of this company led to the first clinically effective inhibitor of gastric acid secretion. The worldwide introduction of cimetidine (Tagamet) revolutionized the treatment of peptic ulcers by dramatically reducing the need for surgical intervention. The work is recognized as the classic example of the systematic modification of a natural messenger substance (histamine) to create a therapeutically useful blocking agent. Effective commercialization of this discovery was greatly facilitated by the subsequent investigation and design of novel synthetic routes, which led to the development of an efficient chemical manufacturing process."

A nonprofit organization with a membership of more than 155,000 chemists and chemical engineers as its members, the American Chemical Society publishes scientific journals, convenes major research conferences, and provides educational, science policy and career programs in chemistry. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

The Royal Society of Chemistry is the Learned Society for chemistry and Professional Body for chemists in the U.K with 46,000 members world-wide. It can trace its roots back to The Chemical Society founded in 1841. The Society is a major publisher of chemical information, supports the teaching of chemistry at all levels, organizes hundreds of chemical meetings a year and is a leader in communicating science to the public.

SmithKline Beecham -- one of the world's leading healthcare companies --discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets pharmaceuticals, vaccines, over-the-counter medicines, and health-related consumer products, and provides healthcare services including clinical laboratory testing, disease management, and pharmaceutical benefit management. For company information, visit SmithKline Beecham on the World Wide Web at http://www.sb.com

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A nonprofit organization with a membership of more than 155,000 chemists and chemical engineers as its members, the American Chemical Society publishes scientific journals, convenes major research conferences, and provides educational, science policy and career programs in chemistry. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.