Bristol-Myers was formed in 1887 when William McLaren Bristol and John Ripley Myers bought a small pharmaceutical firm in upstate New York. From the start, quality was a key focus of the Bristol-Myers organisation.

The Squibb Corporation was founded in Brooklyn almost 30 years earlier, by Dr. Edward Robinson Squibb in 1858. The company was dedicated to the production of “consistently pure medicines”.

The two firms developed in parallel for more than a century, before merging in 1989, creating a global leader in the health care industry.

		2009 Onglyza® (saxagliptin) Disease area: Type 2 diabetes. Indication: Used to control high blood sugar in adults with Type 2 diabetes. Date launched: October 2009. Joint venture with AstraZeneca
		2008 Atripla® (efavirenz/Truveda). Disease area: Anti-infectives. Indication: Used to treat HIV infection. First once-daily pill to target HIV. Date launched: January 2008. Joint venture with Gilead
		2007 Bristol-Myers Squibb launches Orencia® (abatacept), the first selective co-stimulation modulator of T- cell activation.
		2006 Sprycel® (dasatinib). Disease area: Oncology. Indication: Used to treat adults with chronic, accelerated myeloid or lymphoid blast phase chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). Date launched: December 2006 Baraclude® (entecavir) Disease area: Anti-infective. Indication: Used to treat chronic hepatitis B. Date launched: September 2006
		2004 Abilify® (aripiprazole) is launched. We also released Reyataz® (atazanavir) the first once-daily protease inhibitor and Perfalgan® the first intravenous paracetamol in this year.
		1999 Sustiva® (efavirenz) Disease area: Anti-infectives. Indication: Used to treat HIV infection. Date launched: May 1999
		1998 The cardiovascular medicine, Plavix® (clopidogrel), is launched in the UK by Bristol-Myers Squibb and sanofi-aventis.
		1997 Aprovel® (irbesartan) Disease area: Cardiovascular. Indication: Used to treat high blood pressure and kidney disease in people with Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Date launched: September 1997. Joint venture with Sanofi-Aventis
		1994 Taxol® (paclitaxel) is heralded as a breakthrough anti-cancer medicine.
		1991 Bristol-Myers Squibb developed the world’s second HIV medicine.
		1975 The Squibb Corporation created the first medicine in a new class of antihypertensive agents called ACE inhibitors.
		1967 We created our first anti-cancer medication, Hydrea® (hydroxycarbamide), which is still used today.