Glaxo is the world's second largest pharmaceutical multinational. This study of the company, from its beginnings to 1962, is based on unprecedented and unparalleled archival access to the company records. It gives a detailed account of the global operations of Glaxo, and describes not only the evolution of this international business, but studies its research and development programmes, its products, and its marketing and management. It is a story of power, money and drugs, the first comprehensive study of a UK-based drugs company and the only scholarly study yet written of a front-ranking world company.