Établissements Poulenc Frères

Établissements Poulenc Frères was a pioneering French pharmaceutical and chemical company that played a critical role in the birth of modern chemotherapy. Founded in 1900 by the Poulenc brothers, the firm specialized in the large-scale synthesis of organic chemicals and laboratory reagents. The company is historically significant for its collaboration with Nobel laureate Paul Ehrlich, serving as the primary manufacturer and distributor of Salvarsan, the first effective treatment for syphilis. Beyond anti-infectives, the company produced a wide range of photographic chemicals and early synthetic drugs. In 1928, it merged with the Société Chimique des Usines du Rhône to form Rhône-Poulenc, which eventually became a core component of the modern pharmaceutical company Sanofi.