Early Merck product advertising

Merck originated in 1668, when Friedrich Jacob Merck purchased the Engel-Apotheke (Angel Pharmacy) in Darmstadt, Germany. The year 1827 saw Heinrich Emanuel Merck start large-scale production of standardised high-quality alkaloids, plant extracts and many other chemicals, so that by 1900, Merck offered a range of around 10,000 articles. In addition to a flourishing export business, subsidiaries were springing up around the world.

The New York office was taken over by Georg Merck in 1889, to establish Merck & Co. Ten years later he started local production of chemicals in the US. This later became an independent American company and is known as Merck Sharp & Dohme in Europe.

The name 'Merck' is used exclusively in the US and Canada by Merck & Co., while in Europe and the rest of the world it is known as Merck KGaA (formerly E. Merck).

For more information on Merck KGaA, click here