Chattem, Inc. is an American,

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...

-based, producer and marketer of over-the-counter healthcare products, toiletries, dietary supplements, topical analgesics, and medicated skin care products. Originally named the Chattanooga Medicine Company, the company’s brand portfolio holds twenty-two brands including Allegra,

Gold Bond Gold Bond is a brand of over-the-counter skin care products produced by Chattem of Chattanooga, Tennessee, now a subsidiary of the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi. It is available as both a powder and a topical cream. Gold Bond is used to cu ...

, Flexall,

IcyHot Liniment (from , meaning "to smear, anoint"), also called embrocation and heat rub, is a medicated topical preparation for application to the skin. Some liniments have a viscosity similar to that of water; others are lotion or balm; still, other ...

Rolaids Rolaids is an American brand of calcium and magnesium-based antacid produced by Procter & Gamble. It was invented by American chemist Irvine W. Grote in the late 1920s, and originated with manufacturing in Chattanooga, Tennessee, under one o ...

, Sun-In, Pamprin,

Dexatrim Dexatrim is an over-the-counter (OTC) dietary supplement meant to assist with weight loss. Dexatrim claims it "gives you the power to lose weight, curb binges, and keep you in control of your diet."Dexatrim Dietary Supplement. (2010). Retrieved fro ...

, Aspercreme, and Selsun Blue. The company produces two-thirds of its products at its Chattanooga production facilities with the remaining produced by third-party producers. The company is a subsidiary of the

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

multinational pharmaceutical company

Sanofi Sanofi S.A. is a French Multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company headquartered in Paris, France. The corporation was established in 1973 and merged with Synthélabo in 1999 to form Sanofi-Synthélabo. In 200 ...

. The company’s brands are sold nationally through mass merchandiser, drug and food retailers. In 2005, 70% of the firm's sales were made through its top ten customers, which include

Wal-Mart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...

Walgreens Walgreens is an American pharmacy store chain. It is the second largest in the United States, behind CVS Pharmacy. As of March 2025, the company operated more than 8,700 stores in the U.S. Walgreens has been the subject of a number of lawsuit ...

, and Kroger. Sales to Wal-Mart constituted 36% of Chattem’s total sales in 2005. Chattem supports these sales with a forty-five-person sales force and broadcast media advertising. Chattem has market penetration in the United States, Europe, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

History

* Chattem was founded by Zeboim Cartter Patten as the Chattanooga Medicine Company in 1879. The company incorporated in 1909 and has remained in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to this day. * During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Chattanooga Medicine Company turned into a major supplier of K-Rations to the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

, producing 34 million rations from 1942 to 1945, earning 5 "E" Awards for support of war efforts. * The firm adopted Chattem as its name and went public in 1969. * Chattem’s top and bottom lines grew significantly from 1989 through 1992. The source of this growth was the company’s strategy of purchasing under-marketed consumer brands and aggressively marketing those in its portfolio. In 1993, Chattem experienced a 14% decline in sales from the loss of Warner-Lambert’s

business. To fund a one-time special dividend in 1994, $75 million in high-yield bonds were issued. * In January 2013, Chattem acquired the full rights to Rolaids, which had seen its brand wounded under the ownership of

Johnson & Johnson Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is an American multinational pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical technologies corporation headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Its common stock is a c ...

McNeil Consumer Healthcare McNeil Consumer Healthcare is an American medicals products company belonging to Kenvue consumer health group. It primarily sells fast-moving consumer goods such as over-the-counter drugs. History The company was founded on March 16, 1879, by 2 ...

with a series of

product recall "Product Recall" is the twenty-first episode of the third season of the American comedy television series '' The Office'' and the show's forty-ninth episode overall. The series depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton b ...

s and

quality control Quality control (QC) is a process by which entities review the quality of all factors involved in production. ISO 9000 defines quality control as "a part of quality management focused on fulfilling quality requirements". This approach plac ...

issues throughout 2010 that ended with most of the Rolaids line discontinued. In September, 2013 Chattem returned Rolaids to the market with new

trade dress Trade dress is the characteristics of the visual appearance of a product or its packaging (or even the design of a building) that signify the source of the product to consumers. Trade dress is an aspect of trademark law, which is a form of intelle ...

, though production of Rolaids is not expected to return to Chattanooga. * In March 2014, Chattem sold Dexatrim to NVE Pharmaceuticals.

Recent events

In October 2006, Chattem announced it would acquire five brands for $410 million as a result of the merger between

and the consumer healthcare business of

Pfizer Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered at The Spiral (New York City), The Spiral in Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 184 ...

. These brands are: * ACT Anti-Cavity Mouthwash * Unisom * Cortizone 10 *

Kaopectate Kaopectate is an orally taken medication for the treatment of mild diarrhea. It is also sometimes used to treat indigestion, nausea, and stomach ulcers. The active ingredients have varied over time, and are different between the United States and ...

* Balmex-Diaper Rash Ointment Pending the US government’s approval of the merger of Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, Chattem will acquire five brands divested from the firms. Chattem has announced it expects to take possession of the brands around January 2007. These mature brands will provide $150 million in additional revenue to Chattem per year. On December 21, 2009, Paris-based (France)

, the world's fourth largest drugmaker, said it was acquiring Chattem in a $1.9 billion cash deal.

said the acquisition would be completed by the first quarter of 2010."Sanofi to Acquire Chattem", ''The Economic Times'' (December 22, 2009)
/ref>

Current brands

Chattem manufactures many over-the-counter healthcare products. They are marketed in three categories: pain relief, skin & hair care, and health & wellness.

Pain relief

* Arthritis Hot * Aspercreme * Capzasin * Cortizone 10 * Flexall * Icy Hot * Sportscreme

Skin & hair care

Gold Bond Ultimate
* Selsun Blue

Health & wellness

ACT Oral Care
* Allegra *

* Nasacort *

* Unisom * Unisom Natural Nights * Xyzal

References

External links

• {{Chattem Sanofi American companies established in 1879 1879 establishments in Tennessee Companies based in Chattanooga, Tennessee 2010 mergers and acquisitions American subsidiaries of foreign companies