{"id":4778,"date":"2025-11-12T16:15:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T14:15:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.molport.com\/?p=4778"},"modified":"2025-12-10T12:06:40","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T10:06:40","slug":"molport-chronicles-from-alchemy-to-pharma-no-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.molport.com\/news\/molport-chronicles-from-alchemy-to-pharma-no-8\/","title":{"rendered":"Molport Chronicles- from Alchemy to Pharma No.8"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>BASF: From dyes to drugs<\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">For the historical chronology of drug discovery and the pharmaceutical industry, it is crucial to dedicate some attention to <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/BASF\">BASF<\/a>. Founded in 1865 in Mannheim by <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Friedrich_Engelhorn\">Friedrich Engelhorn<\/a>, a goldsmith turned gasworks operator, the company originated in the aniline dye business. Engelhorn realized that coal tar, a byproduct of gas lighting, could be used to manufacture synthetic dyes derived from anilines, and the company\u2019s name reflected this focus: BASF stood for <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Badische Anilin- &amp; Soda-Fabrik<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, or \u201cBaden Aniline and Soda Factory.\u201d With chemists such as <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Heinrich_Caro\">Heinrich Caro<\/a>, BASF developed <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Methylene_blue\">methylene blue<\/a> in 1876. It was first used as a textile dye and soon recognized as the first chemically defined and patented drug. Its therapeutic applications began with malaria treatment and later included diagnostics, antiseptics, and use as the standard antidote for methemoglobinemia. BASF also pioneered the industrial synthesis of indigo in 1897, which enabled the mass production of blue jeans.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Although BASF no longer pursues drug discovery, through its Knoll division and partnerships, it contributed significantly to modern medicine. Essential products included propafenone (Rythmol), a class IC antiarrhythmic for cardiac arrhythmias; cefuroxime axetil (Zinnat, Ceftin), a widely used oral second-generation cephalosporin; cefotaxime (Claforan), a third-generation cephalosporin antibiotic; and sevoflurane (Sevorane), a volatile anesthetic still in broad use. BASF also held regional rights to market Pfizer\u2019s doxazosin in parts of Europe, an \u03b11-blocker prescribed especially for benign prostatic hyperplasia and hypertension. Other notable contributions included its role in the development and commercialization of Synthroid (levothyroxine) and propofol, now among the most indispensable anesthetics worldwide.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Today BASF has shifted its focus toward fine chemicals, excipients, and APIs. Still, its early roots in dyes and later legacy in pharmaceuticals illustrate how industrial chemistry shaped the trajectory of modern drug discovery.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-4780\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.molport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Alchemy-to-Pharma-13-oct-2-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"770\" height=\"770\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.molport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Alchemy-to-Pharma-13-oct-2-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.molport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Alchemy-to-Pharma-13-oct-2-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.molport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Alchemy-to-Pharma-13-oct-2-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/blog.molport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Alchemy-to-Pharma-13-oct-2-370x370.png 370w, https:\/\/blog.molport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Alchemy-to-Pharma-13-oct-2.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 770px) 100vw, 770px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">#PharmaHistory #DrugDiscovery <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">#molport #BASF<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Other Molport Chronicles posts- from Alchemy to Pharma:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.molport.com\/blog\/news\/molport-chronicles-from-alchemy-to-pharma-3\/\">Toxicology and Preclinical Testing (Animal Models)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.molport.com\/blog\/news\/molport-chronicles-from-alchemy-to-pharma-2\/\">Dose Makes The Poison<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.molport.com\/blog\/news\/molport-chronicles-from-alchemy-to-pharma\/\">Oldest Pharmacy<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.molport.com\/blog\/news\/molport-chronicles-from-alchemy-to-pharma-4\/\">From Apothecary to Alkaloid Pioneer: The Origins of Merck and Modern Drug Discovery<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.molport.com\/blog\/news\/molport-chronicles-from-alchemy-to-pharma-5\/\">GSK legacy shaped by Beecham\u2019s Pills and Research Laboratories<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.molport.com\/blog\/news\/molport-chronicles-from-alchemy-to-pharma-no-6\/\">The journey of ASPIRIN<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.molport.com\/blog\/news\/molport-chronicles-from-alchemy-to-pharma-no-7\/\">The footprint of Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.molport.com\/blog\/news\/molport-chronicles-from-alchemy-to-pharma-no-8\/\">BASF: From dyes to drugs<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BASF: From dyes to drugs For the historical chronology of drug discovery and the pharmaceutical industry, it is crucial to dedicate some attention to BASF. Founded in 1865 in Mannheim by Friedrich Engelhorn, a goldsmith turned gasworks operator, the company originated in the aniline dye business. Engelhorn realized that coal tar, a byproduct of gas<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":4782,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[156,158,157],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.molport.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4778"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.molport.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.molport.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.molport.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.molport.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4778"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.molport.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4778\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4800,"href":"https:\/\/blog.molport.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4778\/revisions\/4800"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.molport.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.molport.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.molport.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.molport.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}