Which company merged with Glaxo Wellcome in 2000 to create GlaxoSmithKline?

SmithKline Beecham merged with Glaxo Wellcome in 2000 to create GlaxoSmithKline.

The two British-based pharmaceutical companies announced their combination in January 2000, and the merger was completed in December of that year. The new company used the name GlaxoSmithKline, commonly abbreviated GSK.

Glaxo Wellcome itself had been created by the 1995 merger of Glaxo and Wellcome. SmithKline Beecham had its own long history, including the 1989 merger of SmithKline Beckman and Beecham Group. Their 2000 combination therefore joined companies that were already products of earlier pharmaceutical consolidation.

The merger created one of the world’s largest drug companies, with businesses spanning prescription medicines, vaccines, and consumer healthcare. It is often confused with the later creation of Haleon, which separated GSK’s consumer-healthcare business from its pharmaceutical operations.