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Industry | Pharmaceutical |
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Founded | 1907 |
Defunct | 2001 |
Fate | Acquired |
Successor | GlaxoSmithKline (now GSK plc) |
Headquarters | Jersey City, New Jersey, United States |
Key people | Alexander Block, Leonard Block, Thomas Block, Michael P. Danziger |
Products | Polident, Poli-Grip, Dentu-Creme, Nytol, Tegrin, Lava Soap, Beano, Phazyme, Balmex, Sensodyne |
Number of employees | 3,000 |
Block Drug Company was a pharmaceutical company based in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, that specialized in dental care products. Its most popular products included Polident denture cleanser, Poli-Grip denture adhesive, Dentu-Creme denture toothpaste, Nytol sleeping pill, Tegrin medicated shampoo for psoriasis, Lava hand soaps (acquired from Procter & Gamble), Beano and Phazyme anti-gas products, Balmex diaper rash ointments, and Sensodyne desensitizing toothpaste. [1]
GlaxoSmithKline (now GSK plc) purchased the company for $1.24 billion in 2001. [2] [3]
The company was founded in 1907 by Alexander Block, a Russian immigrant who had a small drugstore on Fulton Street in Brooklyn, New York. He turned the company into a wholesaler in 1915, then became a drug manufacturer in 1925, acquiring a 50 percent interest in Wernet's Dental Manufacturing Company. [1]
Block Drug moved its headquarters to Jersey City, New Jersey in 1938. [4]
Although Alexander Block built the company largely through acquisitions, he developed the Polident brand internally during the 1930s. [5] In 1948, Block Drug rolled out the Ammi-i-Dent tooth powder, and in the early 1950s, the company developed Nytol. [6] After Alexander Block's death in 1953, [5] his son Leonard N. Block (1911–2005) [4] took over, eventually becoming the company's chairman. [5] The last major new product the company introduced was Tegrin, in 1964. [5]
Although Block Drug was a public company from 1971 until 2001, it operated much like a private, family-run firm, with the Block family holding all voting shares plus 54 percent of the non-voting stock. In addition, the company never held annual meetings or issued proxy statements. [6]
Leonard N. Block died in 2005 at age 93 after suffering for years from Alzheimer's disease. [4] Block's nephew John P. Roberts was the producer of the Woodstock Festival using money from his Block inheritance.
![]() | |
![]() | |
Industry | Pharmaceutical |
---|---|
Founded | 1907 |
Defunct | 2001 |
Fate | Acquired |
Successor | GlaxoSmithKline (now GSK plc) |
Headquarters | Jersey City, New Jersey, United States |
Key people | Alexander Block, Leonard Block, Thomas Block, Michael P. Danziger |
Products | Polident, Poli-Grip, Dentu-Creme, Nytol, Tegrin, Lava Soap, Beano, Phazyme, Balmex, Sensodyne |
Number of employees | 3,000 |
Block Drug Company was a pharmaceutical company based in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, that specialized in dental care products. Its most popular products included Polident denture cleanser, Poli-Grip denture adhesive, Dentu-Creme denture toothpaste, Nytol sleeping pill, Tegrin medicated shampoo for psoriasis, Lava hand soaps (acquired from Procter & Gamble), Beano and Phazyme anti-gas products, Balmex diaper rash ointments, and Sensodyne desensitizing toothpaste. [1]
GlaxoSmithKline (now GSK plc) purchased the company for $1.24 billion in 2001. [2] [3]
The company was founded in 1907 by Alexander Block, a Russian immigrant who had a small drugstore on Fulton Street in Brooklyn, New York. He turned the company into a wholesaler in 1915, then became a drug manufacturer in 1925, acquiring a 50 percent interest in Wernet's Dental Manufacturing Company. [1]
Block Drug moved its headquarters to Jersey City, New Jersey in 1938. [4]
Although Alexander Block built the company largely through acquisitions, he developed the Polident brand internally during the 1930s. [5] In 1948, Block Drug rolled out the Ammi-i-Dent tooth powder, and in the early 1950s, the company developed Nytol. [6] After Alexander Block's death in 1953, [5] his son Leonard N. Block (1911–2005) [4] took over, eventually becoming the company's chairman. [5] The last major new product the company introduced was Tegrin, in 1964. [5]
Although Block Drug was a public company from 1971 until 2001, it operated much like a private, family-run firm, with the Block family holding all voting shares plus 54 percent of the non-voting stock. In addition, the company never held annual meetings or issued proxy statements. [6]
Leonard N. Block died in 2005 at age 93 after suffering for years from Alzheimer's disease. [4] Block's nephew John P. Roberts was the producer of the Woodstock Festival using money from his Block inheritance.