Parke-Davis

History

The production facility on Parkdale Road in what was then Avon Township MI (site now in Rochester MI) was also a landmark in that vicinity, and is now used by JHP Pharmaceuticals.

Parke-Davis was acquired by Warner-Lambert in 1970, which in turn was bought by Pfizer in 2000.

Products

One of Parke-Davis' early products was an amylase isolated from Aspergillus oryzae by Dr. Jokichi Takamine. The enzyme was originally intended for use in distilleries, but was more successfully marketed as "Taka-diastase" for dyspepsia.

In addition, Parke-Davis distributed Coley's toxins, the first cancer vaccine, which was developed by William Coley to treat osteosarcoma. In addition, the company entered into a distribution agreement with the Inoculation Department of St Mary's (London) and distributed a number of vaccines for infectious diseases and even acne and cancer.

Another of the company's products developed by Takamine was a pure form of adrenaline. The compound was patented in 1900 and trademarked as "Adrenalin". Because of the similarity of this name to "Adrenaline", the use of the alternative name "epinephrine" for generics was mandated in the United States and is used to this day. A lawsuit filed by H.K. Mulford challenged the patent on the grounds that it was a natural product and therefore unpatentable. The ruling in favor of Parke-Davis by judge Learned Hand is considered crucial to modern patent law.

Like Bayer with heroin; before the criminalization of cocaine, the drug was sold by Parke-Davis in various forms, including cigarettes, powder, and even a cocaine mixture that could be injected directly into the user’s veins with the included needle. The company promised that its cocaine products would "supply the place of food, make the coward brave, the silent eloquent and ... render the sufferer insensitive to pain." In October 1915, Aleister Crowley, author of Diary of a Drug Fiend and The Confessions of Aleister Crowley, stopped by Parke-Davis in Detroit, where, according to Crowley, the cooperation was complete. "[They] were kind enough to interest themselves in my researches in Anhalonium lewinii (peyote) and made me some special preparations on the lines indicated by my experience which proved greatly superior to previous preparations." Parke-Davis also was the original manufacturer and patent holder of phencyclidine (PCP) which is currently listed as a Schedule II drug in the United States. They also developed Ketalar (ketamine hydrochloride), a general anesthetic and dissociative drug, in 1962. Due to the severe negative side effects of both these drugs, they rarely saw any medical use but are frequently found on the illicit market. Ketamine is still used occasionally in the veterinary field.

Parke-Davis marketed the first widely available epilepsy treatment, Dilantin, which was approved in 1939, although it discovered neither the compound nor the application on its own.

The first bacterial vaccine was developed by Parke-Davis, and the company was thus known as a pioneer in the field of Vaccinology. It was also among the five firms contracted to manufacture the Salk vaccine before its replacement with the superior Sabin vaccine. A combination of the DPT and polio vaccines, called Quadrigen, was developed in 1954 and approved in 1959. Quadrigen was later removed from the market in 1968 after a series of lawsuits pertaining to adverse effects in vaccinated children. Parke-Davis also produced the broad-spectrum antibiotic Chloramphenicol.

Other products popularized by the company included anti-infectives and brands of combined oral contraceptive pills.

Modern events

As announced on January 22, 2007, Pfizer closed its research facilities in Ann Arbor, MI.

References