PETRI DISH PERSPECTIVES: BIOTECH UNLEASHED

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PETRI DISH PERSPECTIVES: BIOTECH UNLEASHED

Episode 17: GSK

August 21, 2025 • Manead Khin • Season 1 • Episode 17

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In this episode of Petri Dish Perspectives: Biotech Unleashed, we dive into the story of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), one of the world’s most influential pharma giants!

From scaling up penicillin production in WWII, to pioneering semi-synthetic antibiotics like amoxicillin, to leading the global vaccine race with Cervarix and Shingrix, GSK has left an indelible mark on modern medicine. We also explore its groundbreaking role in HIV treatment through ViiV Healthcare, and the blockbuster drugs that reshaped respiratory and infectious disease care. Along the way, we draw key lessons on adaptability, collaboration, and the power of prevention in pharma’s evolving landscape.

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Hello and welcome to Petri Dish Perspectives: Biotech Unleashed, the podcast where we geek out about science and the companies shaping the future of healthcare. I’m your host, Manead, and I’m a PhD scientist by training, biotech storyteller by choice. With every new episode released on Thursday, my goal is to deliver digestible pieces of information on healthcare companies under 30 mins.

Unlike some of the biotech startups we’ve covered, GSK is not just a company, it’s almost a microcosm of the entire pharmaceutical industry over the past 150 years. Its roots stretch back to a tiny pharmacy in New Zealand, through the industrial expansion of Britain, and into today’s global race for vaccines and specialty medicines.

GSK’s journey has it all: entrepreneurial pharmacists, colonial trade in quinine, blockbuster asthma drugs, HIV treatments that changed the course of a pandemic, and let’s not forget its leading role in developing the world’s first malaria vaccine.

So let’s step back in time and see how a small operation selling baby formula in the 1870s grew into one of the world’s pharmaceutical giants.

Quick disclaimer: full credit goes to all original sources cited in the transcript.

Grab your coffee or tea, settle in, and let’s jump right in.

Segment 1: Origins & Founding Story 🏭

GSK wasn’t born overnight. It’s the result of mergers and legacies that trace back to multiple founding companies: Glaxo, Burroughs Wellcome, Beecham, and SmithKline. Let’s explore some of these founders’ backstories.

The Apothecary Roots – Burroughs Wellcome (1880s)

The story begins with Henry Wellcome and Silas Burroughs.

Henry Wellcome was born in Wisconsin in 1853 to a deeply religious family. As a boy, he sold medicine and household products door-to-door with his cousin, developing early skills in marketing and sales. He trained as a pharmacist and became fascinated by the idea of standardized, branded medicine, something very new in the 19th century.
Silas Burroughs, his partner, was born in New York, also trained in pharmacy, and had a flair for business. The two met in London and, in 1880, co-founded Burroughs Wellcome & Co.

Their big innovation? The “tabloid” pill. At a time when medicines were often powders or tinctures, they created compressed, standardized tablets, portable, reliable, and perfect for doctors. This single innovation set the stage for mass-produced pharmaceuticals.

Henry Wellcome was also a visionary philanthropist. After Silas’s death, Wellcome expanded the company globally and later founded the Wellcome Trust, one of the world’s largest biomedical charities, which still funds groundbreaking research today.

The Dairy Chemist – Glaxo (1904)

Across the world in New Zealand, Joseph Nathan, a London-born entrepreneur, had set up a successful import business. In the early 1900s, his company began producing dried milk powder marketed as “Glaxo,” from the slogan: “Glaxo builds bonny babies.”

Glaxo started as a nutrition brand far from the pharma powerhouse it would become but the business’s success provided the foundation for later ventures into antibiotics and prescription drugs.

The Soap and Toothpaste Maker – Beecham (1840s)

Beecham’s roots go back to Thomas Beecham, a Lancashire-born entrepreneur who sold herbal laxatives in the 1840s. His “Beecham’s Pills” became so popular that by the late 19th century, they were a household name in Britain.

By the 20th century, Beecham had evolved into a major pharmaceutical player, investing heavily in antibiotics research. They were among the first companies to mass-produce penicillin during World War II.

The American Chemists – SmithKline & French (1830s)

In Philadelphia, John K. Smith, a Quaker pharmacist, opened a small drugstore in 1830. His brother-in-law Mahlon Kline later joined, bringing strong business acumen. The company grew rapidly, eventually becoming SmithKline & French Laboratories, known for developing pioneering drugs like Tagamet, the first blockbuster treatment for ulcers.

The Birth of GSK

Through a century of mergers, these lineages merged: Glaxo merged with Wellcome in 1995 to form GlaxoWellcome. SmithKline Beecham merged with GlaxoWellcome in 2000, creating GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), now a global giant with deep roots across Europe, America, and New Zealand. This merger was officially completed on December 27, 2000. The new company's shares then became listed on the London SE and NYSE.

Segment 2: The Breakthrough — Early Drug Discoveries 💊

Fast-forward to the 20th century, when antibiotics, vaccines, and antivirals began to redefine the possibilities of modern medicine. One of GSK’s landmark contributions was penicillin production during World War II. At that time, penicillin was a miracle drug but in scarce supply. Like Abbott and Pfizer, GSK’s predecessor companies took on the challenge of scaling up fermentation technology, transforming what had been a laboratory curiosity into a mass-produced antibiotic that saved countless Allied lives on the battlefield. This moment marked the first time industrial biomanufacturing truly intersected with global public health.

The post-war years brought another revolution. In the 1950s, Beecham scientists, working within one of the companies that would eventually become GSK, achieved one of the most important milestones in pharmaceutical history: the discovery of semi-synthetic penicillins. By chemically modifying the original penicillin structure, they created new antibiotics with broader activity and greater stability. This breakthrough gave rise to blockbuster drugs like Amoxicillin, which remains one of the most prescribed antibiotics in the world today and is still considered a first-line therapy for many infections.

But GSK didn’t stop at antibiotics. It became one of the first pharmaceutical companies to treat vaccines not just as side projects, but as a central strategic priority. Over the decades, it developed and commercialized vaccines against hepatitis, meningitis, HPV, and later shingles. Their HPV vaccine, Cervarix, was particularly transformative, offering protection against cervical cancer on a global scale and reshaping preventive medicine for women’s health. Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a very common sexually transmitted infection (STI) spread through skin-to-skin contact, primarily during sexual activity. It's a group of over 200 related viruses, with some causing genital warts and others potentially leading to cancer. Most HPV infections clear up on their own, but some can persist and lead to health problems. Recent research indicates that the vaccine has also contributed to a significant reduction in cervical cancer deaths, particularly among younger women. One study found a 62% drop in cervical cancer deaths over the last decade, likely due to HPV vaccination.

Meanwhile, GSK also helped pioneer the modern antiviral era. Burroughs Wellcome, one of its legacy companies, played a historic role in the fight against HIV/AIDS. In 1987, its scientists developed AZT (zidovudine), the first effective antiretroviral therapy. Although its rollout was shadowed by fierce pricing debates, AZT was the first ray of hope for millions living with HIV, marking a turning point in a disease that had been considered a death sentence. This discovery laid the foundation for the combination therapies that would follow, forever changing the course of the epidemic.

Segment 3: Blockbusters That Defined GSK 🚀

GSK’s pipeline over the decades has churned out medicines that became household names.

Ventolin (albuterol): In the 1960s, asthma was often life-threatening, with limited treatment options beyond crude bronchodilators that carried dangerous side effects. Burroughs Wellcome scientists, part of GSK’s legacy lineage, developed albuterol as a safer, faster-acting inhaled therapy that directly targeted the lungs without straining the heart. Launched as Ventolin, the “blue inhaler” quickly became a lifeline. It was simple, portable, and effective, giving millions of patients worldwide newfound control over asthma attacks. For decades, Ventolin has remained one of the most widely recognized and trusted inhalers, a symbol of modern respiratory care.
Augmentin: By the 1970s, doctors faced an escalating problem: bacterial resistance. Amoxicillin, though a workhorse antibiotic, was increasingly neutralized by beta-lactamase enzymes. Beecham researchers devised a clever solution, pair amoxicillin with clavulanic acid, a beta-lactamase inhibitor, to restore its potency. The result was Augmentin, launched in 1981, which expanded the reach of penicillin-based therapy and became a global mainstay for respiratory, skin, and urinary infections. Its success demonstrated the power of combination therapy in overcoming resistance, a principle still at the heart of antibiotic innovation today.
Advair/Seretide: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and severe asthma remained undertreated into the 1990s. GSK scientists combined two proven mechanisms, the long-acting beta agonist salmeterol with the corticosteroid fluticasone into one inhaler. Launched as Advair (Seretide outside the U.S.), it offered patients both symptom relief and long-term inflammation control. At its peak in the early 2000s, Advair/Seretide generated more than $8 billion annually, making it not only one of GSK’s most profitable products but also a cornerstone of modern respiratory medicine.
Cervarix and Shingrix: Vaccines became a defining pillar of GSK’s portfolio. Cervarix, introduced in 2007, was one of the first HPV vaccines, designed to prevent cervical cancer by targeting the high-risk HPV strains responsible for most cases. While it competed directly with Merck’s Gardasil, Cervarix still played a pivotal role in expanding HPV immunization globally, particularly in public health programs. A decade later, Shingrix redefined prevention for shingles, a painful reactivation of the chickenpox virus that disproportionately affects older adults. With its superior efficacy compared to older vaccines, Shingrix was quickly adopted worldwide after its 2017 launch, becoming a blockbuster and cementing GSK’s dominance in adult immunization.
HIV treatments through ViiV Healthcare: HIV, once a certain death sentence, entered a new therapeutic era in the 2000s. Through its joint venture ViiV Healthcare, GSK partnered with Pfizer and Shionogi to specialize in cutting-edge HIV treatments. The company pioneered single-pill regimens such as Triumeq (dolutegravir/abacavir/lamivudine) and later Dovato (dolutegravir/lamivudine), dramatically simplifying therapy. Instead of managing complex daily pill cocktails, patients could control HIV with a once-daily treatment, transforming the disease into a manageable chronic condition. These innovations reinforced GSK’s position as a leader in global HIV care, extending both lifespan and quality of life for millions.

Each of these drugs not only built GSK’s empire but also shaped standards of care for infectious disease, respiratory health, and oncology.

Segment 4: A Leader Who Left a Mark 👤

One individual who left a lasting imprint on GSK is Sir Andrew Witty.

Witty joined Glaxo in 1985 as a management trainee and climbed the ranks over two decades. By 2008, he became CEO of GSK at just 43 years old. His leadership came during a time when the pharmaceutical industry faced mounting criticism over drug pricing and access.

Witty distinguished himself by taking bold stances. He slashed drug prices in low-income countries, dramatically expanding GSK’s presence in Africa and Asia. He also championed a more open-source approach to drug discovery, releasing GSK’s malaria compound library to the public to accelerate tropical disease research.

Under his leadership, GSK doubled down on vaccines and consumer health, divesting non-core assets to focus on its strengths. Witty’s philosophy was clear: big pharma had a moral responsibility not just to shareholders, but to society.

Segment 5: Controversies ⚖️

Like any pharma giant, GSK has had its share of scandals.

In 2012, the company paid a record $3 billion settlement in the U.S. for illegal marketing practices — including promoting antidepressants Paxil and Wellbutrin for unapproved uses, and failing to report safety data about Avandia, a diabetes drug linked to heart risks.

They also faced criticism over their handling of AZT pricing during the early HIV/AIDS epidemic. Activists accused Burroughs Wellcome of profiteering off desperate patients, sparking global outrage and pressuring the industry to rethink pricing models.

In China in 2014, GSK was embroiled in a bribery scandal where they bribed doctors and hospitals and was fined $490M.

These episodes underscore the tension between profit motives and public health responsibilities — a recurring theme in big pharma’s history.

Segment 6: Where GSK Stands Today 🌍

Today, GSK has three main pillars:

Vaccines – where it remains one of the global leaders.
Specialty Medicines – particularly in HIV, respiratory disease, and oncology.
Consumer Healthcare – though in 2022, GSK spun off its consumer division (maker of Sensodyne and Advil) into a standalone company, Haleon, to focus squarely on biopharma.

GSK is betting heavily on its pipeline of vaccines and immunology drugs, including next-generation RSV vaccines and oncology candidates.

Segment 7: Lessons from GSK

GSK’s history offers five clear lessons for pharma and biotech:

Adaptability wins — From antibiotics to vaccines to HIV, GSK has thrived by reinventing its focus with each new era of medicine.
Scale + focus — Global size mattered, but true breakthroughs like Augmentin, Advair, and Shingrix came from targeted bets on high-need areas.
Partnership accelerates impact — ViiV Healthcare showed that even rivals can collaborate to drive innovation faster.
Trust is fragile — Pricing controversies and vaccine debates proved that public perception can shape a product’s legacy as much as the science.
Prevention pays off — By betting big on vaccines, GSK positioned itself as a global leader in public health and secured long-term success.

In short: reinvent, focus, collaborate, build trust, and never underestimate prevention. GSK’s stock currently stands at $40.22 a piece and their market cap is a little over $79B. GSK, or GlaxoSmithKline, has a global presence with headquarters in London, UK, and US headquarters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Durham, North Carolina.

Segment 8: What’s Next for GSK? 🔮

So, where is GSK headed?

The company is doubling down on vaccines and infectious disease, a field that has regained global urgency since the COVID-19 pandemic. Its RSV vaccine Arexvy, approved in 2023, is already making waves as one of the first effective vaccines against RSV in older adults.

They’re also leaning hard into mRNA partnerships, trying to keep pace with Moderna and Pfizer, who seized the pandemic spotlight. GSK’s partnership with CureVac aims to develop next-gen mRNA vaccines that could leapfrog existing technologies.

In HIV, ViiV Healthcare continues to innovate with long-acting injectables like Cabenuva, offering patients treatment just once every two months instead of daily pills.

And in oncology, GSK is pushing forward with targeted therapies and immuno-oncology, though it faces stiff competition from Roche, Novartis, and Merck.

For investors and patients alike, the big question is: can GSK transform its legacy as a vaccine-and-antibiotics powerhouse into leadership in the new era of precision medicine?

Outro 🎧

So, that’s the story of GSK — GlaxoSmithKline. From humble beginnings in baby formula and laxatives, to inventing antibiotics that reshaped global health, to pioneering vaccines and HIV drugs that saved millions of lives.

It’s a story of breakthroughs, but also of controversies. Of leaders like Sir Andrew Witty, who pushed the company toward a vision of broader access. And of a company still wrestling with what it means to be a global healthcare leader in an age of both skepticism and scientific possibility.

For biotech watchers, GSK is a case study in reinvention — a company that has stumbled, but still stands at the frontlines of global medicine.

My hope is that listeners come away seeing GSK not just as a logo on a vaccine box, but as a mirror of the biotech industry itself: ambitious, flawed, global, and absolutely central to the future of healthcare.

References

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Manead Khin

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