Bristol-Myers Squibb
A Proud Past – and a Promising Future

Long before their 1989 merger, Bristol-Myers and Squibb were both renowned, well-established pharmaceutical companies.

Bristol-Myers

In 1887, William McLaren Bristol and John Ripley Myers bought the Clinton Pharmaceutical Company in New York state and built it into a successful enterprise by developing a series of innovative new products including Bufferin, the first of the buffered aspirins.

During World War II the company produced penicillin for the Allied forces and afterward flourished through its development of cancer and other therapies and the acquisition of such leading companies as Clairol, Westwood Squibb, Zimmer, and Mead Johnson.

Squibb

In 1858, Dr. Edward Robinson Squibb founded Squibb Corporation in New York and developed the first reliable ether for anaesthesia.

From world headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey, the company directs research, production and marketing activities for a broad range of pharmaceutical products. The Squibb name stands for reliability and quality, and significant research investments which have produced major pharmaceutical breakthroughs including the first ACE inhibitor (captopril) which helped revolutionize the treatment of high blood pressure.

Today....

On a global scale BMS is now the world's fourth largest pharmaceutical company, and one of the most diversified healthcare product manufacturers. It is a leading developer of innovative medical and therapeutic products.

BMS operates on six continents employing more than 50,000 people in over 130 countries including ventures in Russia and China. In 1996, worldwide sales were over 15 billion dollars.

Research and Development

As a leading research-based pharmaceutical manufacturer, BMS invests over $1 billion annually on innovative research and development programs for its core pharmaceutical business. Its presence is also growing in the emerging biotechnology and genetic-engineering fields.

Bristol-Myers Squibb in Canada

In 1925, E.R. Squibb & Sons of Canada Limited was incorporated, with headquarters in Toronto. In 1952, the company commenced construction of a plant in Ville Saint-Laurent, Quebec. Today, this same building houses the Canadian headquarters of Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical and Consumer Products Groups.

Today, BMS is one of Canada's largest pharmaceutical, health care, and personal care companies, with close to 1000 employees. The business units include: Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Group, Bristol-Myers Squibb Consumer Products Group (hair and skin care), ConvaTec (ostomy care, wound treatment), Mead Johnson (nutritional supplements, infant formulas), Westwood Squibb (dermatological products), Zimmer of Canada Limited (orthopaedic devices), and Matrix Essentials Inc. (beauty salon products).

Meeting the challenges of diseases that afflict people around the world.

The Pharmaceutical Group is involved in the research, marketing and sales of innovative medicines. It is a leading maker of therapies for cardiovascular (Monopril, Sotacor), metabolic (Pravachol) and infectious diseases (Zerit, Videx, Cefzil, Maxipime), central nervous system disorders (Serzone, Stadol NS) and cancer (Taxol, Vepesid, Megace).

The Pharmaceutical Research Institute (BMS's drug research division) operates a facility in Candiac, Quebec, where employees are engaged in drug discovery, clinical supply operations, and chemical process research. The Candiac anti-tumour research facility is a major site for investigation and development of promising anti-tumour compounds in small quantities. Its small-scale oncology-parenteral manufacturing facility is the only such site in BMS's worldwide operations.

In addition to its own R & D efforts, the Company underwrites a number of important strategic research alliances with hospitals and universities across Canada.