History of St. Joseph Aspirin

Remember the little orange pill your mom used to give you when you were sick? St. Joseph Aspirin, America’s original chewable aspirin was known then as a pain reliever. Re-launched in 2001, the St. Joseph Aspirin of today is only marketed for your heart health.

The St. Joseph brand was created in the heartland of America, by the Gerstle Medicine Co. of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The founder, Leopold Gerstle, was born in Bavaria, Germany and came to the U.S. in 1865. Many have speculated on his choice of the name St. Joseph. Some think it came from having his first business ventures in St. Joseph, Missouri. Others contend the brand was named after the patron saint of (among other things) families, children and the sick.

Plough, Inc. bought the St. Joseph brand in 1920, and by 1946, the pleasant-tasting orange tablet of St. Joseph Aspirin had become a staple in households nationwide-bringing comfort and relief from aches and pains. Plough merged with Schering Corporation in 1971 to form Schering-Plough.

St. Joseph now has a new home. In 2000, McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals, a Division of McNeil-PPC, Inc., a member of the Johnson & Johnson family of companies, acquired St. Joseph from Schering-Plough. In 2003, St. Joseph Aspirin celebrated the 81st birthday of its 81 mg dose, the dose doctors recommend most for aspirin therapy.