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Ventolin
Adding colourful details to Ventolin’s history
From Mr F. D. Alcraft, MRPharmS
As a young pharmacist at Allen & Hanburys, first at the premises
in Ware and then at the Bethnal Green headquarters, I was involved in
both the manufacture and the marketing of Ventolin (salbutamol) in 1969
immediately after its launch and can add some colourful details, that
will not be known to many people, to the history
retold by Jenny Bryan (PJ, 13 October 2007, p404–5).
Allen & Hanburys was so nervous of damaging its existing anti-asthma
product (Choledyl — licensed from Warner Lambert) that it initially
planned to sell salbutamol through a then subsidiary, Duncan Flockhart,
part of British Drug Houses Limited, under the name Ventilan. This was
changed quite late in the day back to the direct Allen & Hanburys
route but sales were then forecast at a fraction of 1 per cent of what
they actually achieved.
This situation led to “hand-to-mouth” production problems
at Ware from day one. Although a trainee, I was given the day-to-day
running of the aerosol plant while the real manager, Brian Russell, was
specifying and buying a plant in Switzerland and elsewhere.
For many months stock levels were measured in terms of hours and I made
a twice daily report on the situation. Launches to export markets were
held up for a year or more because of the bottleneck.
To add to the story, David Jack, the Allen & Hanburys research and
development director, who was responsible for the discovery of salbutamol,
once told me he had discussed the issue of extending the action of duration
of his new selective molecules with James Black, then at ICI (pre Astra
Zeneca) and he (later Sir James) had suggested adding a butyl molecule — hence
salbutamol.
From many later experiences with other companies and other molecules
I can confirm most new drug introductions have their elements of serendipity
and Ventolin was clearly no exception. None of this detracts from the
enormous contribution that the research-based industry makes and my pride
in being part of it.
F. David Alcraft
Chairman
Bridgehead International Ltd |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal