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