Grünenthal GmbH is a German researching pharmaceutical company in Aachen (Rhineland). It was founded in 1946 and has been in family ownership since then. The company was the first that introduced penicillin onto the German market in the post-war period, during which it was forbidden by the Allied Control Council. In the 1960s, however, Grünenthal achieved awareness through the development of Thalidomide, the active substance of the sleeping pill Contergan, which caused teratogenic deformities in children. Today the firm generates more than 50% of its turnover with pain medications, such as the own developed drug Tramadol. Of these, a large amount spent on research. Grünenthal has besides the two offices in Germany, subsidiaries in Europe, Latin America, the USA and China. Related firms of the same family tree are the soaps, toiletries, and cosmetics companys Dalli Group and Mäurer & Wirtz. - Source: Wikipedia
