LAB started from humble beginnings in Percy Street off the Tottenham Court Road. Dr Jacob Rabinovitch, recently arrived from working in Paris on steroids with Rousell, joined Dr Wiesner and Mark Mott to help develop a cheaper way of preparing hormones such as Oestrone. Unfortunately, no sooner had they succeeded than an even cheaper method was developed in Mexico! Wiesner moved into vitamin supplements, and obtained a large quantity of hard-to-get alcohol for the purpose. Due to stability problems, the project had to be abandoned, leaving them with the alcohol. This was stored under bond at Hay's Wharf, a place which later became famous in the sixties for its dock strikes. Labiton was formulated, and its success lead to the alcohol being slowly used up. Mrs Rab's influence came in a patented method for preserving the kola extract. A new company was set up to market the Labiton, named Peter and Jonathan after the sons of Dr Wiesner and Mark Mott. Soon after this Dr Wiesner left to pursue other interests, and Mark D Mott later retired due to ill-health.

Another fruit of Dr Rab's background in steroids was the development of a method for pregnancy testing using the xenophobus species of toad. The female toad was injected with urine from the hoping-to-be mother, and if the toad immediately laid eggs, the lady was pregnant. Income from this helped to fund development of Micryston, the first steroid depot. Contract work on morphine was also carried out for, of all people, Tampax Ltd, work which also paved the way for the development of Duromorph, and also introduced Ernest Budd to the Company, the man who first marketed Cerumol

But the real breakthrough for the Company came when an east London Doctor suggested the development of a liquid to help dissolve ear wax. Several attempts were required before settling on the "tried and tested" formula we know today. The problem of getting a new product onto the market was solved by Ernest Budd, whose reps had been promoting Tampax to doctors, and were pleased to have a new product to talk about.

The Company had in 1950 moved to the present site at 91 Amhurst Park, chosen because of its large rooms (it was formerly a dance school), and the fact that there was water plumbed into most of the rooms. Sales were growing steadily. Cerumol was originally made in 1 gallon batches, but went to a 10 gallon milk churn and eventually a 50 gallon tank. Labiton likewise grew into a 50 gallon wine barrel in the kitchen.

 By the end of the fifties, contacts in the veterinary world had lead to the veterinary products. In 1962 Ceruvet, the Ornimed range, Ornivite and Romenal were advertised. Also advertised in 1962 was Duromorph, priced at 6s 9d (33 new pence) for a box of 6 ampoules. Other products exploited the alkaline nature of the amino acid Lysine, used in Laboprin (Lysine + Aspirin) and Labophylline (Lysine + Theophylline).

By the late sixties, even more expansion was necessary. Fortunately there were some stables at the bottom of the garden, still, or so the story has it, filled with horse dung. They were cleaned up, a concrete floor laid, and later the walls tiled, and LAB had its new production area. Production of Labiton was now tripled. All products apart from Cerumol were made here, except that Monphytol, due to its smell, was made in an annex. The accounts moved into a newly purchased and renovated property on an adjacent site at 105 Cranwich Road.

But troubles in the outside world were beginning to impinge on LAB Ltd. The Thalidomide tragedy had lead to the 1968 Medicines Act. A new and separate analytical section had to be set up, and more professional management brought in. We would be under much closer government scrutiny.

In 1972, Labiton production was moved to a greenhouse next to the stables. 1972 was also notable for the advent of the Medicines Inspectors. The first visit was amicable, at our invitation. With later visits it became clear that they thought some improvement to our premises was necessary. This precipitated a long battle with the council; we needed a new factory, they wouldn't let us build one. An unhappy solution was found in the form of a nearby factory, about ten minutes walk away, but this bought many logistics problems. Fortunately, in 1980 Government policy towards factories in urban areas changed, and this coincided with the retirement of the local surveyor. A new factory was designed and built, and opened by the Mayoress in May 1986.

In the seventies, a great deal of effort was put into research into improving Laboprin, the Lysine + Aspirin product. This culminated in Laboprin DL, a sachet of instantly and completely soluble aspirin with a very pleasant taste. It cost somewhat more than a normal aspirin tablet, so was aimed at the prescription market for patients who definitely needed the improved characteristics. However, it was at this point that the first Blacklist came out, and the Department of Health decided that Laboprin would not be prescribable. Ten years of research went down the drain. Simultaneously and equally unexpectedly, the blacklist dealt sales of Labiton an enormous blow. Fortunately, Cerumol was not affected. This latter suffered a wobble later when a new competitor appeared using a grossly inflated price to subsidise a heavy advertising campaign. Cerumol survived the initial onslaught, and sales were soon back on course.

The nineties passed remarkably smoothly in comparison with past decades, and the new millenium is looking good.

Latest revision 28.01.04.