Rachelle Laboratories

Rachelle Laboratories was a pharmaceutical company based in Long Beach, California, that operated as a subsidiary of International Rectifier. The company specialized in the production of generic antibiotics, most notably tetracycline and chloramphenicol, which were marketed under the brand names Tetrachel and Mychel. During the 1960s and 1970s, Rachelle was a significant player in the generic drug market and became a central figure in a landmark patent infringement lawsuit filed by Pfizer. This legal battle was pivotal in the history of the pharmaceutical industry regarding the rights of generic manufacturers. The company maintained manufacturing facilities for fermentation and chemical synthesis until it ceased operations in 1986. Its closure followed the decision of its parent company to exit the healthcare industry and focus on its core semiconductor business.