Maladies such as scurvy, beriberi, pellagra and rickets are now understood to be caused by specific nutritional deficiencies—disease states that are relieved by administration of the missing nutrients. Accurate diagnosis and treatment, however, was a long time coming. Longer still was identification and synthesis of the chemicals we call vitamins that alleviate these diseases.
Scurvy
Once called the “disease of pirates,” scurvy is caused by
a lack of vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, a chemical name derived from the Latin
term for the affliction, scorbutus. Known since ancient times (described by
Hippocrates around 400 BCE), the malady was not a significant problem until the
beginning of the 15th century when long-distance mariners were unable to access
fresh food for months at a time. A seaman’s diet of preserved meats and
carbohydrates contributed no vitamin C, and unlike most animals, the human body
cannot synthesize it. Early symptoms of scurvy include spongy gums, joint pain,
and subcutaneous bleeding. As the disease progresses, teeth become loose with
attendant halitosis, and the afflicted becomes too weak to rise. Death can
occur suddenly, “mid-sentence,” from cerebral hemorrhage. Finally, in the
mid-18th century, naval surgeon James Lind proved that scurvy could be
prevented, and cured, by adding citrus fruit to the diet. His findings were not
readily appreciated, however, and it was not until 1795 that the British Royal
Navy began issuing standard rations of lemon and lime juice to its sailors.
Beriberi
Passengers and crew, suffering from scurvy, are desperate for the lemons and oranges being hoisted aboard. Citrus fruit was discovered in the mid-1700s to be a lifesaving remedy for the disease. |
The Sinhalese term “beri-beri” translates, “I cannot, I
cannot,” referring to the victim’s inability to perform even the simplest
physical tasks because of peripheral polyneuritis (nerve inflammation) caused
by vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency. Although beriberi was known to exist many
centuries ago in rice-dependent Asia, incidence peaked with the introduction of
rice-polishing mills. The improved taste and shelf life of milled white rice
led to rejection of native brown rice, resulting in abandonment of a primary
source of thiamine—the bran, or outer layer of the rice grain. Among symptoms
of beriberi are weakness, pain, weight loss, difficulty walking and emotional
disturbances. In 1897, Christiaan Eijkman, a Dutch physician and pathologist,
proved that feeding unmilled rice to chickens helped cure and prevent beriberi;
and in 1929 was awarded a Nobel Prize for his pioneer work that ultimately led
to discovery of the “anti-neuritic vitamin” thiamine.
Pellagra
Once called “Asturian leprosy” because of its early
recognition in the Principality of Asturias (Northern Spain), pellagra is
caused by a lack of niacin (nicotinic acid), particularly in cultures dependent
on improperly treated corn for basic nutrition. The disease was endemic in
northern Italy, for example, where it was dubbed pelle agra (rough skin) by
physician Francesco Frapolli of Milan in 1771. The classic symptoms are actinic
dermatitis (sunlight induced skin rash), diarrhea, glossitis (tongue
inflammation), ataxia and dementia. Despite the efforts of USPHS physician
Joseph Goldberger stationed in the American south during the period 1915-26,
during which he proved pellagra wasn’t caused by a germ but by dietary
deficiency, few physicians embraced his conclusions, perhaps because Goldberger
failed to identify the specific element whose absence caused pellagra. It was
not until 1937 when Conrad Elvehjem, a biochemist experimenting with dogs at
the University of Wisconsin, showed that niacin (originally called vitamin B3)
cured pellagra.
Rickets
Caused by deficiency of vitamin D, rickets is usually an
affliction of growing children. It was first recognized clinically in
mid-seventeenth century England where it acquired its popular name, possibly
from the Greek rhakhis which refers to the spine. The most telling symptom is
at the epiphyses (growth plates) of long bones where lengthening is thwarted by
reduced calcium deposition. The result is a flaring or “cupping” appearance,
especially in leg bones, and if untreated, rickets can also cause spinal
curvature, stunted growth and frequent fractures. In adults, osteomalacia (bone
softening) is often caused by the same deficiency. The human body is able to
produce vitamin D when the skin is exposed to UVB radiation in sunlight. Today,
vitamin D can be taken orally as a dietary supplement, usually ergocalciferol
(vitamin D2) biosynthesized from yeast, or cholecalciferol (D3) made from
lanolin. Regardless of the source, the body must convert vitamin D to an active
metabolite in the liver and kidney before it can function on a cellular level.
Cod liver oil achieved a reputation as a treatment for consumption, a leading cause of death in the 19th century. Administered to patients suffering from tuberculosis and other “wasting” diseases for its caloric content, fish liver oil was also discovered to be an effective treatment for rickets. This was confirmed during 1919-22 in post-war Vienna by microbiologist Harriette Chick and her co-workers—a study that demonstrated rickets could be halted by either sunlight exposure or by cod liver oil. Subsequent work with cod liver oil and irradiation experiments during 1922-36 by Elmer V. McCollum, Alfred F. Hess and Adolf Windaus led to the isolation and molecular structure of vitamins D2 and D3.
Cod liver oil achieved a reputation as a treatment for consumption, a leading cause of death in the 19th century. Administered to patients suffering from tuberculosis and other “wasting” diseases for its caloric content, fish liver oil was also discovered to be an effective treatment for rickets. This was confirmed during 1919-22 in post-war Vienna by microbiologist Harriette Chick and her co-workers—a study that demonstrated rickets could be halted by either sunlight exposure or by cod liver oil. Subsequent work with cod liver oil and irradiation experiments during 1922-36 by Elmer V. McCollum, Alfred F. Hess and Adolf Windaus led to the isolation and molecular structure of vitamins D2 and D3.
How did the term “vitamin” come to be? It originated during
the beriberi research. While Christiaan Eijkman had called the missing
nutritional substance “anti-beriberi factor,” Polish biochemist Casimir Funk,
one of the scientists assigned to isolate it from rice bran, created a new
nomenclature. When Funk succeeded in separating out a few tiny samples of a
crystalline substance that cured pigeons with polyneuritis, he determined that
chemically the material was an organic base or amine. In his June 1912 article,
“The Etiology of the Deficiency Diseases,” Funk grouped scurvy, beriberi,
pellagra and rickets into a single category of deficiencies, claiming all could
be prevented or cured by the addition of substances that occurred in minute
quantities in food—vital amines, or in short, “vitamines.” He used the new word
repeatedly throughout his 27-page article as if it was already widely accepted;
and although it turned out that not all vitamins are true amines, by 1920 the
term was well established. Yielding to its popular usage, British biochemist
Jack Drummond nevertheless proposed the final “e” of vitamine be dropped,
and also that the cumbersome chemical names be simplified to “vitamin A,”
“vitamin B,” etc. His ideas were adopted over the next few years.
Commercialization
When is was discovered that brewers’ yeast (Saccharomyces
cerevisiae) was a source of water soluble B-complex vitamins, merchants
introduced yeast-based products that greatly exaggerated nutritional and
therapeutic claims. This was a blatant repetition of the “patent medicine”
propaganda that ultimately led to passage of the 1906 Food and Drugs Act, a law
that prescribed penalties for misbranding and adulteration. By 1922, government
regulations had been developed to challenge the latest generation of health
nostrums. Laboratory studies of commercial vitamin products revealed they
possessed a wide range of effectiveness in combating vitamin deficiency
diseases induced in laboratory animals such as rats, guinea pigs and pigeons.
Effectiveness was determined by conducting nutritional studies to monitor
animal growth, remission of polyneuritis (vitamin B deficiency), and remission
of scurvy (vitamin C deficiency). Results of one study, conducted by the
Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, were published in an August 1922
report titled, “The Potency of Some Commercial Vitamine Preparations as
Compared with that of Dry Brewers’ Yeast.”
Fleischmann Company of New York, in the face of revoked
alcohol permits during National Prohibition, increased promotion of their brewers’
yeast cakes. The term “vitamin” first appeared in Fleischmann’s ad copy in
1920, then more specifically “vitamin B” in 1922. The Connecticut report,
however, found the product to be of marginal value in supplying essential
vitamins to test animals.
Parke, Davis & Co., a manufacturer of pharmaceuticals
in Detroit, first detailed their Metagen capsules to the medical profession in
May 1921. It was advertised as “A combination of active vitamine extracts
derived from several natural sources,” namely cod liver oil, yeast, grains and
citrus fruits.
United’s root connection to production and distribution
of vitamins actually predates formation of the company. Creative genius behind
United Drug Co. was Louis K. Liggett (1875-1946), who in January 1898 at age 23
was a salesman for Chester Kent & Co. of Boston. Liggett’s job was to urge
the retail drug trade to sell Vinol, a bottled tonic made by extracting cod
livers with wine and adding iron. The preparation was, in the company's words, "cod
liver oil without the oil.” Vinol had been sold on the open market with only
fair success until Liggett convinced Chester Kent to grant exclusive agencies
to druggists, one per town or city neighborhood, to eliminate the self-destructive practice
of price cutting. Liggett’s idea was a success—a strategy he developed more fully when he organized the co-operative enterprise known as United
Drug Company in concert with franchised Rexall Drug Stores in 1903.
1902 |
An August 1924 newspaper ad described Rexall Triple
Vitamines as “…pleasant and meaty tasting…can be eaten as a food,” suggesting
an uncoated, chewable tablet with desiccated yeast and peptonized iron
supplying the “meaty” character. The product continued to be advertised and
sold by Rexall druggists until about 1930.
United Drug Company's first multi-vitamin tablet, 1922. |
1928 booklet cover. Note "Vitamin-Tested" on the labeling. |
In May 1927, vitamin researchers Casimir Funk and Harry
Dubin were granted U.S. Patent No. 1629074 for a purification process that
concentrated the fraction containing vitamins A and D in cod liver oil to 1% of
its original volume. This allowed the vitamin activity of 3 teaspoonfuls of cod
liver oil to be contained in an easily swallowed tablet or capsule.
A similar advance was the invention of Viosterol, a
substance with vitamin D activity produced by exposing edible vegetable oils or
certain yeasts, both containing the plant steroid ergosterol, to UV radiation
or electrical discharge. United Drug Co. used Viosterol made by General Mills,
manufactured with technology they called the “A.R.P.I. Process.” These
techniques of converting the pro-vitamin ergosterol to vitamin D2 was licensed
to General Mills, Parke Davis & Co. and others by the actual inventor,
Harry Steenbock of Wisconsin, per his U.S. Patent No. 1680818, granted August 14,
1928. The high potency, man-made Viosterol was primarily used by the
pharmaceutical industry to fortify fish liver oil products.
During these pioneer years, potencies of vitamins were expressed in “units” based on official drug standards and biological assays stipulated in the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP). For example, in USP XI (1936), “Cod Liver Oil, USP” was required to contain in each gram, “at least 600 USP Units of vitamin A and 85 USP Units of Vitamin D.”
During these pioneer years, potencies of vitamins were expressed in “units” based on official drug standards and biological assays stipulated in the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP). For example, in USP XI (1936), “Cod Liver Oil, USP” was required to contain in each gram, “at least 600 USP Units of vitamin A and 85 USP Units of Vitamin D.”
Department of
Research and Technology
In November 1935 one of Louis Liggett’s long time
aspirations was realized. A new 18,000 sq. ft. laboratory was completed at the
Boston complex, occupying the top floor of a new four-story building.
Officially called United Drug Company’s Department of Research and Technology,
the laboratory was tasked with assay of raw materials and finished products to
provide better quality control. The state-of-the-art facility also housed a
miniature manufacturing plant for developing new formulas and researching
improved factory methods. Product categories under the laboratory’s purview
included medicines and vitamins, toilet goods, candy, hospital and fountain
supplies.
The new lab was operational in January 1936, headed by
United’s veteran chief chemist, Edward C. Merrill. Medical officer was Paul W.
Spickard, MD. Formerly with the FDA, Spickard was responsible for accuracy and
legality of therapeutic claims printed in the company’s product labeling and
literature. Setting up the lab for research and control in the field of
vitamins was assigned to Dr. Philip K. Bates, a scientific researcher from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A pet project of Bates and Merrill was
application of the newest and most publicized technology for the department—an
absorption spectro-photometer, granted U.S. Patent No. 2123573 and assigned to
United Drug Co. in 1936. The meter was used to determine Vitamin A potency in
fish liver oil within 2% accuracy, compared to the slow biological assays that
allowed tolerances as high as 20%. Soon to follow was a spectro-fluorometer
used to measure Vitamin B1 and B2 potencies, accurate to within 4%. Equipped
with instruments like these, United Drug Co. was able to make great strides in
producing vitamin products of reliably high quality.
U.D. Pharmaceuticals Physicians' Formulary, 1942. |
Rexall Magazine, February 1945. |
Rexall Magazine, January 1936. |
1943 |
Discovery, isolation and synthesis of the chemicals we
call vitamins was accomplished in various university and institutional
laboratories around the world, some in advance of any recognition of importance
to human nutrition. Nicotinic acid, for example, made by oxidizing nicotine in
1867, initially found use in photography. Not until Casimir Funk isolated it
from rice polishings in 1912, was the substance reconsidered for a possible role in food and health issues. It was later named niacin, a contraction of "nicotinic acid
vitamin."
Commercial production of synthetic vitamins gained
momentum the 1930’s. Given the minute quantities of vitamins in plant and animal
tissues, extraction from natural sources was not practical for supplying
world demand; and the majority of vitamins consumed today thus comes from a
different kind of plant—a chemical factory. A typical example is ascorbic acid.
The large scale process developed by Tadeusz Reichstein in Zurich in
1933 continues in use today. Basically, sorbitol is made from corn syrup, then
through successive steps of bacterial fermentations and treatment with
hydrochloric acid, ascorbic acid or vitamin C is biosynthesized (U.S. Patent No.
2301811). Other advances were biosynthesis of pure ergocalciferol (vitamin D2)
by F.A. Askew in 1931, thiamin (vitamin B1) by Robert R. Williams of NYC in
1936, and alpha tocopherol (vitamin E) in 1938.
Use of man-made vitamins in United Drug’s line of
"Puretest Vitamin Products" was well established by 1941. Viosterol (irradiated
ergosterol, vitamin D2) had been used to fortify cod liver oil since 1934; and
Cevitamic Acid (a synonym for ascorbic acid) was made available to Rexall
customers as 25 mg. tablets in 1939. A stronger version of ABD and G Capsules,
called Multamins, was also developed in 1939. The difference was the potency of
vitamins B1 and B2—four times stronger than the original.
Plenamins
Puretest Plenamins—a multi-vitamin and iron supplement
made from numerous natural and synthetic sources—was first released in boxes of
60 capsules in September 1939. The Plenamins trademark (No. 380397) was
registered in August 1940, and about the same time, a logo composed of a stylized
mortar and pestle with text “Laboratory Approved” began to appear on vitamin
products. Puretest and the logo continued until 1946 when United Drug’s new president, Justin Dart,
ordered all labeling to feature “Rexall” as the dominant part of a brand
name.
Significantly, the daily dose of Plenamins required
taking two different capsules—one amber colored containing the oil soluble
vitamins, A, D and E, and one black capsule containing the balance of
ingredients (B1, B2, C, liver and iron). Separation was necessary to prevent interaction between the two groups and
subsequent loss of potency. The unique process of encapsulating vitamins and
other substances with soft gelatin in a single operation was pioneered by
Robert P. Scherer of Detroit (U.S Patent No. 1970396, 1934). Such capsules are also
called “perles.” The two-capsule problem was ultimately solved with development
of Super Plenamins tablets in mid-1954 (see below).
Plenamins counter card, 1943. |
R.P. Scherer's rotary-die soft gelatin capsule machine, c.1948. |
Seven months before the December 1941 attack on Pearl
Harbor, forcing the United States into combat with Japan and Germany,
hundreds of nutritionists, physicians, farm organizers and other professionals
convened in New York City for the National Nutrition Conference for Defense.
Speakers repeatedly stressed that food policy was an integral part of national
security, and that availability of vitamins would be critical to America’s
chances for victory in a future war. It was a revival of the WW I slogan, “Food
Will Win the War,” but this time the sub-chant was, “Vitamins Will Win the
War.” Three months after the conference, the New York Times reported Hitler had
established a special institute for vitamin research, German margarine was
being fortified with vitamin A, and certain groups of the population were being
plied with synthetic vitamins. At the same time, it was rumored the Nazis
were restricting vitamins in the diets of conquered peoples so they would be
easier to manage.
With such fearful information washing over the American
press from seemingly reliable sources, the government joined food marketers in
spreading the gospel of vitamins to American homemakers. The most successful
educational program was a 1943 campaign sponsored by the USDA that created the
famous pie chart of "Basic 7" food groups, a guide to maintaining
nutritional standards under wartime food rationing. Group 7, for example,
emphasized the importance of vitamin A, found in butter and fortified
margarine. The natural response to this propaganda was elevated concerns about
the adequacy of homeland food supplies, and manufacturers like United Drug Co.
wasted no time in offering nutritional supplements to help calm the anxiety.
1943 |
Rexall Magazine, January 1944. |
Although United’s promotional thrust throughout the war
was multiple-vitamin dosage forms, pure thiamin chloride (B1) tablets were
available in three strengths in January 1941, and vitamin A capsules were
perfected by 1942. Advertising in a March 1944 medical journal identified such tablets and capsules as “Isolated Pure Vitamins.” They were sold
under the Puretest banner as well as “UD” brand, the latter reserved for United
Drug Co. pharmaceuticals detailed to the medical profession.
Other pure vitamins packaged under the UD label were
riboflavin (vitamin B2), ascorbic acid (C), pyridoxine (B6), niacin, viosterol (D2),
and menadione (K1). Udi-Globin, a multi-ingredient UD branded item, was composed of
iron, bone marrow, liver concentrate and B vitamins, professed in 1938 to be a
“hemoglobin-forming tonic.” After the firm became Rexall Drug Company in late
1946, the pharmaceutical brand was changed to “RD.”
Demand for a product that supplied only B vitamins was
initially satisfied with Vitamin B Complex Syrup in 1941; but within two years,
United Drug developed three additional formulations—Beta-Caps, Betas, and
Panoplex. The three differed in their balance of B1, B2, niacinamide (a
chemical variant of niacin or vitamin B3), B6 and pantothenic acid, with
Panoplex the most potent formula.
In 1942, as more attention was being given to the vitamin
needs of children, Polycaps was formulated to supply juveniles with the minimum
daily requirements of A, D, and C, plus B1, B2 and niacinamide. They were
manufactured as spherical, “easy to swallow” gelatin capsules, designed for
kids 4 to 12.
The formula for Plenamins was expanded in 1943 to include
three more B-complex vitamins: niacinamide 20mg., pyridoxine 50 mcg., and
calcium pantothenate 1 mg., this in addition to the existing thiamin
hydrochloride 1.5 mg., riboflavin 2 mg., ascorbic acid 30mg., liver concentrate
130 mg., ferrous sulfate 65 mg., vitamin A 5,000 units, synthetic vitamin D
1,000 units, and alpha tocopherol 1 mg.
A formal Plenamins selling plan was introduced in 1943 to
inspire salespeople in Rexall drugstores to become familiar with the technical
details of Plenamins vitamins and to sell them at every opportunity. The plan
was called the “Barrel-Head Commission Plan,” and awarded cash payments of 25c,
50c and $1.00 to employees selling Plenamins in 72, 144 and 288 tablet sizes,
respectively. This may have been the first corporate Push or Promotional Money
(PM) program instituted in drug stores.
Post war boom
Justin W. Dart (1907–1984) succeeded Louis Liggett as
president of United Drug Company in May 1943 at age 35. He was an innovative
executive who was convinced the future strength of the company lay with its
venerable Rexall trademark. Many changes were soon implemented to support his
conviction. In May 1945 the corporate name of the firm was altered to
United-Rexall Drug Co., and 18 months later, in November 1946, to Rexall Drug
Co. Dart had already moved corporate
headquarters from Boston to Los Angeles in October 1945, just two months after
V-J Day marked the end of WW II. He was convinced Southern California was going to
be an area of tremendous population and economic growth following the war, and
wanted his creative team to be in the middle of it, enjoying the warmer climate
and the commercial advertising advantages of the nearby motion picture and
nascent television industries. Multi-page advertising in national magazines and
sponsorship of popular radio programs increased; and by the time Rexall Drug
ventured into network TV in October 1957 with its first NBC special, Pinocchio,
“Rexall” had cemented its status as a household word. The company’s vitamin
products were heavily spotlighted in its growing media presence.
Saturday Evening Post, October 1946. |
February 1954 |
Two more pediatric dosage forms were released in
1951—Polymulsion, which provided liquid multivitamins in a teaspoon dose, and
Polydrops, administered as 0.3 or 0.6 cc doses via a rubber bulb dropper to
infants and children.
Characters from Walt Disney’s Alice in Wonderland populate this advertisement for Polydrops and other vitamin preparations formulated for children, 1951. |
A red crystalline compound isolated from mammalian liver
at Merck & Co. of Rahway, NJ in 1948 was proven to be vital for red blood
cell growth. Called the “anti-pernicious anemia factor,” and normally available
to humans by consuming meat or dairy, it was designated Vitamin B12. Further
work at Merck yielded methods for B12 production using bacterial fermentation
(US Patent No. 2595499, filed July 10, 1948). This biosynthetic form of B12
(cobalamin concentrate) was incorporated into Rexall Plenamins in 1951—each
black capsule containing 3 mcg.—along with 200 mcg. of another new member of
the B-complex, folic acid. To make it more convenient to carry in pocket or
purse, each pair of Plenamins capsules was now sealed in an airtight foil
wrapper.
Plenamins counter card, 1951. |
Plenamins capsules in foil wrapper, 1951. |
Several other vitamin products developed and released by mid-1953 were likewise touted to possess the new vitamin B12—
Rexall 5X Multi-Vitamins with Red Crystalline B12
contained 5 mcg. of B12 along with a high potency combination of ADC-B1-B2 and
niacinamide. “5X” referred to the strengths of the ingredients, all “5 Times
Stronger” than known minimum daily requirements.
Multi-Vitamin Formula V-10 was introduced as a tonic in
pint bottles, incorporating vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12, and niacinamide along
with liver concentrate and salts of iron, copper and manganese in a palatable
base of sherry wine and malted grain syrup. With a suggested daily dose of one
wineglassful (2 fl. oz.), alcohol content was kept at 17% to prevent the mixture
from fermenting and bottles exploding. Formula V-10 did indeed possess ten
active ingredients, counting the wine. Importantly, another iron and B vitamin
tonic had hit the market three years earlier and was gaining popularity, Geritol. By early 1962, Formula V-10 had been renamed Ger-Rite Liquid, and the
composition was altered to help Rexall’s “tired blood” tonic stay aboard the
Geritol train. Ger-Rite Liquid was put up in 12 fl. oz. cobalt blue and amber
bottles, with labels marked, “Rexall Drug & Chemical Company,” a rarely
seen name on Rexall consumer products, reflecting the corporate style during the
decade, April 1959–April 1969.
Vitamin B-12 and B-12b Concentrate was a soft gelatin
capsule containing 5 mcg B12, concentrated from streptomyces fermentation, and
supplied in bottles of 100 under the “RD” pharmaceutical label.
Multi-vitamin products featuring vitamin B12, 1953-63. |
March 1953 was the 50th anniversary of United Drug
Company’s first shipment of merchandise from the original factory in Boston. Also, it
had been 50 years since their premier trademark “Rexall” (No. 40019) was
registered with the U.S. Patent Office on March 31, 1903. The trademark document was signed, “Louis K.
Liggett, Secretary...doing business at 43 Leon Street.”
Riding on the success of Plenamins, new multi-vitamin products
were perfected by Rexall laboratories that centered on the addition of minerals
and other micro nutrients to established, purely vitamin formulas. The most
prodigious was Mineralized B Complex, a polypharmacy mixture of B-complex
vitamins, vitamin C, desiccated liver, gastric substance (intrinsic factor), 12
minerals, alfalfa concentrate and other nutritional factors that brought the
total number of ingredients to a record 27. The product was released in early
1953 in bottles of 100 tablets.
Rexall Plenamins was introduced in England in the spring
of 1954, manufactured at the Rexall Drug Co., Ltd. factory in Loughborough. A
few months later, Rexall Drug Co. in the U.S. released an improved version of
Plenamins that was destined to become a huge seller and endure as long
as the Rexall brand itself.
The improved Plenamins was basically a merger of the
existing 11-vitamin formula with the 12 inorganic salts in Mineralized B
Complex. Potencies of all ingredients, including liver concentrate, remained
the same as in their source products. Super Plenamins, as it was enthusiastically titled, was made with an
exclusive 31-step protective coating process that enabled all components to be
compressed into a single tablet. The achievement rendered Plenamins’
two-capsule dose obsolete. Advertising broke in August 1954, claiming, “One
tablet contains all the vitamins for which daily requirements are known to
man…one tablet gives you more than two capsules.” The red colored,
football-shaped tablets were packaged in round glass bottles of 36, 72 and 144,
with labels printed in two shades of “Rexall blue,” adopted in late
1946 for medicine and vitamin lines. In 1959, graphics for Super Plenamins
products were modernized—multi-color labeling and easy-to-grip oval glass
bottles with ribbed shoulders. A tall “table bottle” containing 365 tablets
made its first appearance in July 1961.
November 1954 |
Fall 1958 sweepstakes, promotional sign |
Fall 1965 sweepstakes, magazine ad |
During the 1950’s and 60’s additional new products began
to populate Rexall Drug’s expanding stable of vitamin combinations, largely
developed to compete on a formula-by-formula basis with other nationally
advertised brands—
Panovite with
Minerals. Iron and eight other minerals
were added to the original Panovite formula in 1953 to provide a Rexall
equivalent to Stuart Formula and Upjohn’s Unicap-M. Panovite was a member of
United Drug’s line of Puretest vitamins developed during WW II, and was nearly identical
to Plenamins except iron, liver, and vitamin E were omitted, permitting a single
rather than two-capsule dose. By 1961, both Panovite products had been
converted from capsule to tablet formulations.
Theramins was
another member of the Puretest wartime range, a high potency vitamin capsule
created in 1943. An obvious contraction of “Therapeutic vitamins,” Theramins contained
the same essential vitamins as Plenamins except the potencies of B1, B2 and C
were increased 2 to 3 times. In 1962 it was fortified with minerals to yield
Theramins-M, a competitor for Squibb’s Theragran-M. By 1963, both Theramins
products were sold as tablets. The capsule-to-tablet conversions in the early
1960s reflected a general trend in the industry, responding in large measure to
consumer preference, but for Rexall it also reflected a continued confidence in their
superior tablet compression and coating technology established with Super
Plenamins.
Rexall Multiple
Vitamins/One Daily. The elaborate launch
in early 1962 for this product was designed to capture a share of the market
enjoyed by Miles’ ONE-A-DAY (brand) Multiple Vitamins. By June 1963, however,
subtitle for the Rexall product had changed from "One Daily" to "One Tablet Daily," suggesting Miles
may have threatened damages for trademark infringement . In the early 1970’s,
Rexall Drug Co., Ltd. of Canada dodged the issue by calling their version
“Rexall All Day Multiple Vitamins.”
Rexall
Therapeutic Multi-Vitamin Tablets. In
1963, 60th anniversary of the Rexall brand, this high potency multi-vitamin
formula was widely advertised to compete with Squibb’s Theragran, Abbott’s
Optilets, and Parke-Davis’ Theridol. To mark Rexall’s six decades of business,
60 tablets of Rexall Therapeutic Multi-Vitamin were included gratis with each
bottle of 100.
Rexall B & C
Caps combined B complex vitamins with 300 mg. vitamin C. Released in 1966, the
bright green and yellow capsules approximated A.H. Robins’ Allbee with C.
Rexall Theramins and endorsement by Rebel Randall, film actress and G.I. pin-up girl, 1950. |
1962 1963 |
New, shield-shaped bottles and labels were chosen for Super Plenamins to coincide with endorsement by the U.S. Olympic Team and professional sports teams, 1966. |
David and Steve Kaplan of Sun Rexall Drug, Richardson, Texas, running a "How Many Super Plenamins in the Jar" contest, 1969. |
Terry Bradshaw, No.1 NFL draft choice, and Super Plenamins, No.1 selling multi-vitamin & mineral product, 1970. |
Children’s Vitamins – expanding the market
In November 1955, Super Plenamins Junior, a sugar-coated
tablet, was made available for children ages 6-11. But these swallow tablets,
like liquid Polymulsion, and Super Plenamins Junior Liquid (10 vitamins plus
minerals and lysine) released in 1958, were not popular with youngsters. Better
compliance was achieved when flavored and sweetened chewable tablets were
developed. Meltamins Junior—11 vitamins plus iron and liver concentrate, with a
sugar-free “flavored center,” appeared in January 1960 to compete with fruit
flavored Chocks marketed by Miles Laboratories. Rexall Minuteman Chewable
Multiple Vitamins (fruit flavors, 9 vitamins) was introduced in January 1964,
then restyled ten years later with tablets shaped like miniature American
Revolutionary soldiers. Packaged in red and blue plastic bottles figured as
minutemen, the product was marched out to do battle with Miles’ Flintstones and
Chocks Bugs Bunny. The Super Plenamins Junior brand was finally used for a
chewable tablet when Meltamins Junior was phased out in late 1967.
Meltamins Chewable was targeted for adults with difficulty
swallowing regular tablets and capsules. The "senior" version contained 11 vitamins and 7 minerals, and first appeared in 1962.
Meltamins Junior chewable tablets, cartoon advertisement 1960. |
Super Plenamins Junior Chewable, counter card, 1967 |
Minuteman Chewable, stretch-pak, 1974 |
Natural” and “organic,” as applied to human nutrition,
became darlings of advertising in the early 1970’s. The terms were tossed
around with little attention to precise definition, mostly because their use as
descriptors was poorly regulated by the FDA. As early as November 1962, Rexall Drug Co. advertised Chewable
Vitamin C with Sunkist Natural Citrus Bioflavonoids, claiming the product
possessed a “fresh, fruit-like flavor.” Ten years later, to kick off their 70th
anniversary celebration in 1973, Rexall launched an extensive promotion to cash
in on the national preoccupation with everything natural. Several vitamins were
claimed to come straight from “fresh, wholesome foods like liver, yeasts,
fruits and vegetables…just as you would get them from nature.”
A new uniform for vitamins and other nutritional supplements debuted in October 1972—polystyrene plastic bottles with bright and bold labels that featured blue and red chevrons flying above "Rexall." |
Rexall's 70th anniversary line of Super Plenamins. A tall table bottle of 365 tablets stands at right, 1973. |
Rexall Natural Vitamins, newspaper ad, 1973 |
"50% More Free" Super Plenamins stretch-pak, 1976 |
Kelp tablets—a seaweed and natural source of iodine, kelp
was professed to help weight loss by increasing production of thyroid hormone—a
falsehood.
Alfalfa tablets—a faux arthritis remedy.
Soya lecithin capsules—an imaginary body fat eliminator
that is itself a fat.
Cider vinegar tablets—Vermont physician D.C. Jarvis
promoted the suspect idea that raw apple cider vinegar could cure arthritis,
diabetes, high blood pressure.
Liquid protein—Dr. Robert Linn’s “Last Chance Diet”
claimed that body fat would disappear by drinking a slimy cocktail of
enzyme-hydrolized collagen obtained from slaughterhouses. A form of starvation,
the 300 calories per day regimen proved deathly.
The New Rexall
The year 1977 was one of momentous change for Rexall Drug
Company. In January, its parent corporation, Dart Industries, sold the Rexall
division to Ross Hall Corp., a real estate and venture capital investment firm
in Palo Alto, CA. The $16 million sale included the factory in St. Louis,
contract manufacturing and franchise operations, and U.S. trademark rights.
Continuing as president and CEO in St. Louis was Howard K. Vander Linden
(1922-2013) who formerly headed Rexall Drug. Co., Ltd. of Canada, 1963-71. One
of Vander Linden’s first marketing decisions was to boost the strength of Super
Plenamins to compete with formulations being detailed to physicians as “ultra
therapeutic.” The altered formula, called Super Plenamins Extra Strength, was
released in August 1979. The number and variety of vitamins and minerals in the
tablet remained at 11 and 8, but many vitamin strengths significantly
increased, qualifying it as an ultra “high potency” vitamin and mineral
supplement. Vitamin D remained at 400 I.U., and vitamin A increased only 25%,
from 8,000 to 10,000 I.U., but most of the B-complex was boosted 400-500%, and vitamin
C increased from 75 to 250 mg., 400% of the U.S. “Recommended Daily Allowance.”
Vitamin E advanced from a mere 1 mg. to 30 mg., and the most important mineral,
iron, went up 62%, from 15 to 24 mg. Missing was an ingredient that had been a
hallmark of the Plenamins formula during the previous forty years—liver
concentrate. The new Extra Strength tablet competed directly with Myadec Tabs
by Parke-Davis and Theragran-M by Squibb.
Rexall vitamin products scheduled for television and radio promotions, 1978. |
Super Plenamins Extra Strength, Rexall Drug Co., 1979. |
By February 1981, Rexall Drug Co. had reorganized as
Rexall Corporation, prompting a name change on vitamin product labels. A prime
addition to the catalog was PAC-MAN Children’s Chewable Multi Vitamin. The
brand was derived from the 1980 Japanese arcade game of the same name. U.S.
distributor Bally Midway Mfg. Co. licensed Rexall Corp. to use
the brand on children’s vitamins in an effort to compete with Flintstones,
claiming no sugar, artificial flavors or colors.
Vitamin C with Rose Hips, Rexall Drug Co., harvest label, 1980. |
Children's Chewable Multivitamin Supplement, Rexall Corporation, 1982. |
PAC-MAN Children's Chewable Multi-Vitamin plus Iron, Rexall Corporation, 1983. |
But time was running out. Disappointing market shares
combined with manufacturing problems accelerated demise of the
company. Plans to modernize and remodel the St. Louis factory never materialized, debt
increased and the major lender refused to provide more capital. Finally, in
October 1985, production at the Kingshighway Blvd. complex was shut down; and the
next month all drug related assets were transferred to The
Rexall Group, Inc., a firm organized specifically to purchase Rexall Corp. It
was headed by Carl DeSantis, CEO of Sundown Vitamins, Inc. of Fort Lauderdale,
Florida.
DeSantis, who originally managed Super X and Walgreen’s
drug stores, started selling mail order vitamins out of his home under the
Sundown label in 1975. His business flourished, and ten years later a New
Jersey associate, Edward Gerald Kay, informed him that Rexall Corp. was
undergoing a financial crisis and the company might be for sale. The famous
Rexall brand was just what DeSantis needed. He flew to St. Louis and ultimately
agreed to a $2.1 million purchase price to buy the Rexall trademarks, packaged products
and raw materials. The Rexall tradition had found a new caretaker who
appreciated its value and its reputation. On November 14, 1986 Rexall Corp. was
dissolved. Stanley B. Leedy and Howard Vander Linden were president and vice
pres. of Rexall at the end. Larry Weber had resigned four years earlier.
With all connection to the original United/Rexall Drug
Companies severed, the Rexall brand nevertheless remained active in the
marketplace, shepherded by a succession of nutritional supplement
enterprises.
In June 1991, Rexall Group was merged into Sundown
Vitamins, and over-the-counter products bearing the
Rexall label, including vitamins, were assigned to the new Rexall Consumer Products Division. The
previous year Sundown launched a network marketing subsidiary, Rexall Showcase
International (RSI), organized to sell 150 nutritional and health care products
including Bios Life, Cellular Essentials, and Aestival. RSI was headed by Damon
DeSantis, Carl’s son. In May 1993, Sundown Vitamins reincorporated as Rexall
Sundown, Inc., and in mid-1994 moved its headquarters and other facilities to
Boca Raton, Florida. By 1995 RSI’s percentage of Rexall Sundown’s overall sales
had reached 37%; and in 1996 RSI expanded its multilevel marketing activity to
South Korea and Mexico, and to Hong Kong the following year.
Garlic and Parsley Oil, harvest label, The Rexall Group, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 1986. |
Super Plenamins Extra Strength, Rexall Consumer Products Division, Boca Raton, FL, 1994. |
Super Plenamins Plus, trademarked label, Rexall Sundown Inc., 2009. |
Ceramic tile promotional, c.1976. |
Super Plenamins "Flying Saucer" frisbee premium, 1977. |
My sincere thanks
to Juntai Song and David Meinz for their shared interest, and for supplying several of the images used
in this monograph.
Celluloid pinback button, c.1955. |