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Manufacture Packaging

Blast From the Past

Photos from the Roche Archives beautifully illustrate the industry’s past

By Stephanie Vine 04/11/2018 1 min read

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As mentioned here, the Editor of The Medicine Maker, Stephanie Sutton, recently visited the Roche Archives in Basel. Roche was founded on October 1, 1896 by Fritz Hoffman-La Roche, who believed that the industrial manufacture of medicine would significantly help to fight disease. He was also keenly interested in the idea of branded pharmaceutical products. The company has been storing documents, photos, medicines, equipment and other items ever since it was founded. We thought you might enjoy some of the photos from her visit…

Airol powder wound disinfectant (one of the first products launched by Roche). Initially it was not a success, although today Airol is used to help treat acne.
Digalen heart tonic – in a heart-shaped bottle – launched in 1904 and was considered a key medical innovation at the time.
Shelves showing a plethora of awards, items and equipment.
Sirolin, a non-prescription cough medicine launched in 1898, remained on the market for over 60 years – this was the first big success for the company.

About the Author(s)

Stephanie Vine

Making great scientific magazines isn’t just about delivering knowledge and high quality content; it’s also about packaging these in the right words to ensure that someone is truly inspired by a topic. My passion is ensuring that our authors’ expertise is presented as a seamless and enjoyable reading experience, whether in print, in digital or on social media. I’ve spent fourteen years writing and editing features for scientific and manufacturing publications, and in making this content engaging and accessible without sacrificing its scientific integrity. There is nothing better than a magazine with great content that feels great to read.

More Articles by Stephanie Vine

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