In 1882, Dr. Franklin L. Miles began bottling his Restorative Nervine calmative compound for sale to druggists. The country doctor and two businessmen founded Miles Medical Company in the bustling town of Elkhart, Indiana in 1884. Early products included Dr. Miles’ Nervine (“for disorders of the nerves”), Dr. Miles’ Heart Treatment (“a strengthening regulator and tonic”), Dr. Miles’ Anti-Pain Pills (“valuable for the relief of pain”), Dr. Miles’ Alternative Compound (“for impoverished or impure blood”), Dr. Miles’ Tonic (“a combination of pyrophosphates with quinine and iron”), Dr. Miles’ Liver Pills (said to be “efficient in constipation”), and Dr. Miles’ Laxative Tablets (“a new cathartic appealing to young and old alike”).

The company’s first major success came with the introduction of Alka-Seltzer® in 1931. Miles chemists created the effervescent tablet of bicarbonate soda, citric acid, magnesia, calcium, phosphate, and aspirin to stave off the effects of a flu epidemic in the winter of 1928. Before the tablet could be marketed, Miles experimented with packaging and environmental conditions in production to address the problem of aspirin instability. Early bottles of Alka-Seltzer were topped with cotton and sealed with corks and molten paraffin.

Another breakthrough came with the production of enzymes and introduction of Clinistix®, the first dip-and-read diagnostic test for glucose in urine. In 1978 Miles was acquired by Bayer AG. Miles Inc. became Bayer Corporation in 1995.

Bioanalytical Systems, Inc.