Merrell National Laboratories

Merrell National Laboratories was a major American pharmaceutical firm originally founded in 1828 as the Wm. S. Merrell Chemical Company. Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, the company became a subsidiary of Richardson-Merrell Inc. in 1938 and was a leader in the development of synthetic organic medicines. Its product portfolio included widely recognized brands such as the fertility drug Clomid, the antihistamine Seldane, and the controversial morning sickness medication Bendectin. The company gained significant historical attention for its role in the thalidomide regulatory crisis, where its application was famously blocked by the FDA. In 1981, Dow Chemical acquired the Merrell division, merging it to form Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, which eventually became part of the modern Sanofi organization.