Charles Pfizer and Charles Erhart, founders

When bacteriologist Alexander Fleming discovered the germ-killing properties of the “mold juice” secreted by Penicillium in 1928, he knew that it could have profound medical value. But it wasn’t until Pfizer pioneered the mass production of penicillin more than a decade and a half later that it became the “wonder drug” in the battle against infection.

In 1941, Pfizer’s John Davenport and Gordon Cragwall heard researchers from Columbia University present the clearest data yet that penicillin could effectively treat infections. Inspired by the possibilities, the two men offered Pfizer’s assistance. The substance was highly unstable, and initial yields were discouragingly low.

The following year, Pfizer scientist Jasper Kane suggested a radical new approach, proposing that the company try to produce penicillin using the same deep-tank fermentation methods it had perfected for citric acid. The plan was risky because it would require Pfizer to curtail production of citric acid and other established products while it focused on penicillin production. It could also place Pfizer’s existing fermentation facilities in danger of contamination by the notoriously mobile Penicillium spores.

At the Pfizer plant in Brooklyn, New York, senior managers met to weigh the options -- and took the leap. They voted to invest millions of dollars to buy the equipment and facilities needed for deep-tank fermentation. Pfizer purchased a nearby vacant ice plant, and employees worked around the clock to convert it and perfect the complex production process. The plant was up and running in just four months, and by 1944, Pfizer was the largest producer of penicillin in the world.

Bioanalytical Systems, Inc.