In 1897 , more than a century ago, the quiet German city of Düsseldorf was a silent witness to a discovery that would change the life of the human race forever. There, pharmacist Felix Hoffman rediscovered the incredible benefits of acetylsalicylic acid . His research and attempts to alleviate the pain that his father suffered from arthritis would lead to aspirin, the universal medicine.
Hoffman was working for the Bayer pharmacological laboratory , which tried to patent the compound with the German authorities without much success. Their refusal to approve the patent was due to the fact that there were already two other scientists who had succeeded in synthesizing this substance . In the 18th century, the British Edmund Stone discovered salicylic acid and in 1829 the French Henri Lerroux extracted salicin from a willow tree and produced the first artificial version of acetylsalicylic acid .
Despite this, the formula developed by Bayer was the first that did not harm the stomach and could be used safely for therapeutic purposes . The German laboratories insisted and, after the German refusal, they went to the United States and patented it for commercialization. Two years later, under the name ‘ Aspirin ‘, this drug made its patent public on March 6, 1899 in Berlin, Bayer having absolute marketing rights and quickly becoming a worldwide phenomenon. The name given to the drug comes from the Spireaea ulmaria or meadowsweet tree, from which Hoffman originally obtained acetylsalicylic acid and which continued to be used in Bayer’s production.
The society of the time was fascinated by the properties of the “German miracle powder” or “German analgesic” , as they used to refer to the Bayer drug. Aspirin was an effective solution for headaches, inflammation or to lower fever, and shortly after its launch it was already the most widely used drug in the world .
In 1915, aspirin tablets first appeared and their easy consumption made them indispensable for the soldiers who marched to the front during the First World War. Precisely, Bayer’s patent expired during the conflict and was bought for 5.3 million dollars by the American company Sterling Products Company .
With this change of hands, aspirin became “the property of humanity” and numerous companies were freed to produce and market it. It would not be until 1994 when Bayer, the original pharmaceutical company, regained ownership of its brand, as well as the name and logo. An estimated 350 billion aspirin tablets have been manufactured since it was patented in 1899.
In 1971, the drug returned to the center of the spotlight due to the work of John R. Vane . The British pharmacologist discovered how acetylsalicylic acid works : inhibition of prostaglandins, a set of lipidic substances that act as cellular mediators. The discovery of the mechanism of action of acetylsalicylic acid was recognized in 1982 with the Nobel Prize.
