G.D. Searle, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Pfizer.[1] It is currently a trademark company and subsidiary of Pfizer, operating in more than 43 countries. It also operates as a distribution trademark for various pharmaceuticals that were developed by G. D. Searle & Company (often referred to as Searle). Searle is most notable for having developed the first female birth control pill,[2] and the artificial sweetener NutraSweet. Searle also developed the drug Lomotil, an antidiarrheal medication. One notable alumnus of Searle is Donald Rumsfeld, the Secretary of Defense for George W. Bush in the 2000s. Prior to its 1985 merger with Monsanto, Searle was a company mainly focusing on life sciences, specifically pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and animal health.
Daniel C. Searle served as the chief executive officer and president of G. D. Searle & Co from 1970 to 1977 and initially led efforts to gain FDA approval of the artificial sweetener aspartame.[4][5]
Between 1977 and 1985, Donald Rumsfeld was CEO, and then president, of Searle.[6][7] In 1985, he negotiated the acquisition of Searle by Monsanto Corporation.[8]
In 1993, a team of researchers at Searle Research and Development filed a patent application for celecoxib,[9] which Searle developed and which became the first selective COX-2 inhibitor to be approved by the FDA on December 31, 1998.[10] Control of this blockbuster drug was often mentioned as a key reason for Pfizer's acquisition of Pharmacia.[11]
Products
The company manufactures prescription drugs and nuclear medicine imaging equipment. Searle is known for its release of Enovid, the first commercial oral contraceptive, in 1960.[12]
In 1996, the FDA removed all restrictions on the use of aspartame, which enabled its use in heated and baked goods. G. D. Searle's patent on aspartame was extended in 1981 and ultimately expired in December 1992.[13]
