The company was founded on March 16, 1879, by 23-year-old Robert McNeil, who paid $167 for a drugstore complete with fixtures, inventory and soda fountain, as a retail pharmacy, in the Kensington section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.
[2] In 1953 McNeil Laboratories introduced Algoson, a preparation containing acetaminophen together with sodium butabarbital, a sedative.
Another major development in 1977 was that entrepreneur Alan Kligerman started to market a lactase supplement he originally called LactAid.
The name, pronounced ken-view, comes from the English word "ken," which is primarily used on Scotland and means knowledge, and "vue," which references sight.
Kenvue, which will become a standalone company in 2023, will include in its portfolio brands such as Band-Aid, Aveeno, Listerine, Tylenol and Neutrogena.
[citation needed] McNeil Nutritionals, LLC markets and sells a range of products including Lactaid, and Benecol in the UK, Ireland, Belgium, and in the US under license from Raisio Group.
In September 2011, however, the JV ended, when Merck sold its 50 percent interest in the joint venture.
Merck said it sold its interest in the joint venture so it could focus on building the consumer products division it gained through its acquisition of Schering-Plough in 2009.
The Food and Drug Administration issued a report outlining 20 violations, including "filthy" conditions, bacteria that contaminated medicine supply drums and the plant "does not maintain adequate laboratory facilities for the testing and approval (or rejection) of components of drug products.