Our history

Beginning in 1715 with the opening of an apothecary shop in London, our story has always focused on innovation. From a selection of individual entrepreneurs to a global company of around 100,000 employees, we’ve developed a variety of medicines and healthcare products that form the foundations of today’s GSK.

300 years of GSK infographic

Download the full infographic here

Explore our history timeline

Plough court

Innovative entrepreneurs: 1715 – 1891

The early history of GSK: how a range of entrepreneurs built the foundations of the GSK we know today.

Going global : 1892 – 1918

In this period, our legacy companies expanded globally, developing and selling new products worldwide.

Building brands: 1919 – 1949

An era of landmark scientific breakthroughs, building brand portfolios and product consolidation.

Creating the GSK of today: 1950 – 1999

An exciting period of discovery: we developed the first treatment for HIV, enhanced our consumer brands and developed new treatments for asthma.

GSK today: 2000 – present

With our three global businesses of Pharmaceuticals, Vaccines and Consumer Healthcare, we aim to bring differentiated, high-quality and needed healthcare products to as many people as possible.
Research Triangle Park

GSK heritage archives

Find out more about the GSK heritage archives and how to contact our archivists.

History in motion

Find out more about us

Arthur Groy, Oncology Scientist, Philadelphia, USA

What we do

We aim to bring differentiated, high-quality and needed healthcare products to as many people as possible, with our three global businesses, scientific and technical know-how and talented people.
Dave Kilian, Oncology scientist sitting at a lab table

How we do it

Everyone at GSK focuses on three priorities: Innovation, Performance, Trust

Careers

We are a global company delivering billions of healthcare products a year. Choose your path.