Sheffield Pharmaceuticals

Last updated
Sheffield Pharmaceuticals
Company typePrivate
Industry Pharmaceutical
Founded1880;144 years ago (1880) (as Sheffield Dentifrice Company)
Founder Washington Sheffield
Headquarters New London, Connecticut, United States
ProductsPharmaceutical products
Website www.sheffield-pharmaceuticals.com

Sheffield Pharmaceuticals is a manufacturer of over the counter pharmaceutical products to retailers in the United States. [1] It manufactures and sells products both under its own labels and privately for other companies, and is an FDA registered cGMP facility. The company was founded in 1880 as the Sheffield Dentifrice Company by Washington Sheffield, the inventor of modern toothpaste.

Contents

History

Dr. Sheffield's tooth powder, a predecessor to toothpaste Figure-5---Sheffield's-Tooth-Powder.png
Dr. Sheffield's tooth powder, a predecessor to toothpaste

Sheffield was a respected dentist and dental surgeon of his time. In the mid-1870s, he thought of a new tooth cleaning product in a cream form as a replacement for the tooth powders common at the time. [2] He made his own dental cream in his office, added mint extracts to it so as to improve the flavor, and used it on his patients who expressed their liking for it. [2] After establishing his company in 1880, with the help of his son, he constructed a manufacturing plant on his property to produce a mouthwash he had previously invented as well as the new toothpaste (which was then called “Dr. Sheffield’s Crème Angelique Dentifrice”).

Dr. Sheffield's Creme Angelique Dentifrice Figure-8---Creme-Angelique,-Illustration.png
Dr. Sheffield's Crème Angelique Dentifrice

The first advertisement published for Dr. Sheffield's Crème Angelique Dentifrice (the first commercial toothpaste) toothpaste appeared in the New London Telegram on March 12, 1881. [3]

In 1986, the company was purchased by the Faria family, who continue to operate in New London, Connecticut. [4]

In 2016, Sheffield began distribution in China of its Dr. Sheffield's brand toothpaste. [5]

Overseas competition

In 2007, the company reported that it was being undercut by low-cost, counterfeit toothpaste products from China, which were increasingly coming under fire for being tainted with poisonous chemicals. [6] They lobbied Connecticut's state business advocate, Rob Simmons, to ask for increased regulatory oversight into the Chinese and Indonesian imports due to reports of the products being tainted with diethylene glycol, a poisonous substance typically used in antifreeze. [6] The imports were being manufactured with the cheaper, but incorrect, ingredients as a way to illegally undercut the price. Company President Thomas Faria reported that the toothpaste imports were being offered at a cost to retailers of 9 cents a tube, and that he couldn't even purchase the correct ingredients to make his product at that price. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toothpaste</span> Substance to clean and maintain teeth

Toothpaste is a paste or gel dentifrice used with a toothbrush to clean and maintain the aesthetics and health of teeth. Toothpaste is used to promote oral hygiene: it is an abrasive that aids in removing dental plaque and food from the teeth, assists in suppressing halitosis, and delivers active ingredients to help prevent tooth decay and gum disease (gingivitis). Owing to differences in composition and fluoride content, not all toothpastes are equally effective in maintaining oral health. The decline of tooth decay during the 20th century has been attributed to the introduction and regular use of fluoride-containing toothpastes worldwide. Large amounts of swallowed toothpaste can be poisonous. Common colors for toothpaste include white and blue.

Crest is an American brand of toothpaste and other oral hygiene products made by American multinational Procter & Gamble (P&G) and sold worldwide. In many countries in Europe, such as Germany, Bulgaria, Serbia, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Poland, Hungary, Latvia, Romania, Estonia and Lithuania, it is sold as Blend-A-Med, the name of an established German toothpaste acquired by P&G in 1987. In France, Italy, Israel, Sweden, Finland, Argentina, Belgium, the Netherlands, Brazil, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Australia, Nigeria, Greece, Uruguay and Colombia, P&G markets similar toothpaste formulations under the Oral-B brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dental abrasion</span> Medical condition

Abrasion is the non-carious, mechanical wear of tooth from interaction with objects other than tooth-tooth contact. It most commonly affects the premolars and canines, usually along the cervical margins. Based on clinical surveys, studies have shown that abrasion is the most common but not the sole aetiological factor for development of non-carious cervical lesions (NCCL) and is most frequently caused by incorrect toothbrushing technique.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fluoride therapy</span> Medical use of fluoride

Fluoride therapy is the use of fluoride for medical purposes. Fluoride supplements are recommended to prevent tooth decay in children older than six months in areas where the drinking water is low in fluoride. It is typically used as a liquid, pill, or paste by mouth. Fluoride has also been used to treat a number of bone diseases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diethylene glycol</span> Chemical compound

Diethylene glycol (DEG) is an organic compound with the formula (HOCH2CH2)2O. It is a colorless, practically odorless, and hygroscopic liquid with a sweetish taste. It is a four carbon dimer of ethylene glycol. It is miscible in water, alcohol, ether, acetone, and ethylene glycol. DEG is a widely used solvent. It can be a contaminant in consumer products; this has resulted in numerous epidemics of poisoning since the early 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dentifrice</span> Agent used to clean and polish teeth

Dentifrices, including toothpowder and toothpaste, are agents used along with a toothbrush to aid in removal of dental plaque. They are supplied in paste, powder or gel. Many dentifrices have been produced over the years, some focusing on marketing strategies to sell products, such as offering whitening capabilities. The most essential dentifrice recommended by dentists is toothpaste which is used in conjunction with a toothbrush to help remove food debris and dental plaque. Dentifrice is also the French word for toothpaste.

Ipana was a toothpaste manufactured by Bristol-Myers Company. The wintergreen-flavored toothpaste, with active ingredient 0.243% sodium fluoride, reached its peak market penetration during the 1950s in North America. Marketing of Ipana used a Disney-created mascot named Bucky Beaver in the 1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom's of Maine</span>

Tom's of Maine is a brand name and manufacturing company of natural personal care products. Tom's of Maine has been a majority-owned subsidiary of Colgate-Palmolive since 2006. The company's products are sourced and derived from nature, with formulas that are free of artificial flavors, fragrances, colors, sweeteners, and preservatives. The products are not tested on animals, and the company claims that its ingredient processing is supportive of human and environmental health. While most of the company's products are vegan, some products contain propolis and/or beeswax sourced from bees. The company was founded in 1970 by Tom Chappell and Kate Chappell in Maine, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sensodyne</span> Dental hygiene product for sensitive teeth

Sensodyne is a brand name of toothpaste and mouthwash targeted at people with sensitive teeth. Sensodyne is owned by Haleon and is marketed under the name Shumitect in Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colgate (toothpaste)</span> Dental hygiene product

Colgate is an American brand principally used for oral hygiene products such as toothpastes, toothbrushes, mouthwashes and dental floss. Manufactured by Colgate-Palmolive, Colgate's oral hygiene products were first sold by the company in 1873, sixteen years after the death of the founder, William Colgate. The company originally sold soap.

Personal care products are consumer products which are applied on various external parts of the body such as skin, hair, nails, lips, external genital and anal areas, as well as teeth and mucous membrane of the oral cavity, in order to make them clean, protect them from harmful germs and keep them in good condition. They promote personal hygiene and overall health, well-being and appearance of those body parts. Toiletries form a narrower category of personal care products which are used for basic hygiene and cleanliness as a part of a daily routine. Cosmetic products, in contrast, are used for personal grooming and beautification. Pharmaceutical products are not considered personal care products.

In 2007 a series of product recalls and import bans were imposed by the product safety institutions of the United States, Canada, Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand against products manufactured in and exported from the mainland of the People's Republic of China (PRC) because of numerous alleged consumer safety issues. The many product recalls within the year led Consumer Reports and other observers to dub 2007 "The Year of the Recall.”

Eduardo Arias was a Panamanian Guna, whose discovery of contaminated toothpaste saved lives by alerting the public to potentially poisonous products purchased from the People's Republic of China (PRC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Block Drug</span> Pharmaceutical company

Block Drug Company was a pharmaceutical company based in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, that specialized in dental care products. Its most popular products included Polident denture cleanser, Poli-Grip denture adhesive, Dentu-Creme denture toothpaste, Nytol sleeping pill, Tegrin medicated shampoo for psoriasis, Lava hand soaps, Beano and Phazyme anti-gas products, Balmex diaper rash ointments, and Sensodyne desensitizing toothpaste.

A counterfeit medication or a counterfeit drug is a medication or pharmaceutical item which is produced and sold with the intent to deceptively represent its origin, authenticity, or effectiveness. A counterfeit drug may contain inappropriate quantities of active ingredients, or none, may be improperly processed within the body, may contain ingredients that are not on the label, or may be supplied with inaccurate or fake packaging and labeling. Counterfeit drugs are related to pharma fraud. Drug manufacturers and distributors are increasingly investing in countermeasures, such as traceability and authentication technologies, to try to minimise the impact of counterfeit drugs. Antibiotics with insufficient quantities of an active ingredient add to the problem of antibiotic resistance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington Sheffield</span> American dental surgeon and inventor

Washington Wentworth Sheffield was an American dental surgeon best known for inventing modern toothpaste in the 1870s. With the help of his son Lucius T. Sheffield, he was also the first to sell the paste in collapsible tubes. He was considered one of the most skilled dentists in New England and the United States, making important contributions to the fields of dentistry and dental surgery.

Pâteçassaïé was a brand of fluoride-free, herbal toothpaste produced in Bangui, Central African Republic, from 1923 until the factory's closure in 1966. The toothpaste was notable for being one of the first locally manufactured toothpastes in what was the French colony of Ubangi-Shari, and the formula was loosely based on dentifrice brands in Europe, whilst using a mixture of salt and local herbs.

Parodontax is a brand name of toothpaste and mouthwash currently owned by Haleon, previously GSK.

References

  1. "About Us". Sheffield Pharmaceuticals homepage. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  2. 1 2 "A Local Industry". New London Evening Telegram. March 8, 1882. p. Vol. 9 No. 2795, page 4.
  3. "Dr. Sheffield's Crème Angelique Dentifrice". New London Telegram. March 12, 1881.
  4. "History". Sheffield Pharmaceuticals homepage. Archived from the original on 6 November 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  5. Hallenbeck, Brian (2016-11-02). "Sheffield Pharmaceuticals extending its global reach". The Day. Retrieved 2020-08-20.
  6. 1 2 3 Cronin, Anthony (July 27, 2007). "Counterfeits Squeezing Sheffield". The Day. Retrieved 18 August 2014.