H.K. Mulford

H.K. Mulford Company was a pioneering American pharmaceutical firm established in 1891, recognized as a global leader in the development of vaccines and antitoxins. Based in Philadelphia and Glenolden, Pennsylvania, the company was the first in the United States to commercially produce diphtheria antitoxin and played a vital role in combating infectious diseases like smallpox, tetanus, and rabies. Their products were famously used during the 1925 serum run to Nome to stop a diphtheria outbreak. In 1929, the company was acquired by Sharp & Dohme, which later merged with Merck & Co. in 1953. Today, H.K. Mulford is considered a foundational entity of the modern Merck vaccine business.