History
At Allergan, bringing the best of medicine to life is more than a promise. It is a commitment we have kept for nearly 60 years and the philosophy upon which we have built our business. The innovative spirit that infuses Allergan today can be traced back to Allergan's founder, pharmacist Gavin S. Herbert. In 1948, Mr. Herbert was already the successful owner of a chain of drug stores in Los Angeles. But his interest and entrepreneurial instincts were ignited when a close friend and chemist, Stanley Bly, approached him with an idea for an anti-allergy nose drop containing the antihistamine neoantergan. They set up a small laboratory on the balcony of Mr. Herbert's drugstore in Los Angeles to make the solution, which they named ALLERGAN® Nasal Drops.
Responding to the suggestion of an ophthalmologist friend, Mr. Herbert and Mr. Bly later reformulated the product as an eye drop to treat allergic conjunctivitis (inflammation of the eye). The result was ALLERGAN®, the first antihistamine eye drop in the United States. As would be repeated time and again over the years, the new company achieved success by responding to the suggestion of its customers.
Allergan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was established in 1950 and in 1957 Mr. Herbert turned the company over to his son, Gavin Herbert, Jr. who remained at the helm until the mid 1990’s. David Pyott joined Allergan as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in 1998 and now serves as Chairman of the Board and CEO. The stability of our top line leadership is just another factor contributing to Allergan’s solid success.
Today Allergan represents a global, USD$4 billion multi-specialty health care company with leading portfolios in eye care, neurosciences, medical dermatology, medical aesthetics, obesity intervention and urologics.
Allergan Australia was established in 1968 and is a significant contributor to the Allergan business in the Asia Pacific region.