1960

FDA approves chlordiazepoxide, marketed by Hoffman-La Roche as Librium. It was a product of chemist Leo Sternbach’s work with quinazoline compounds as dyes in the early 1930s at University of Krakow; he was trying to identify new dyestuffs (Valenstein, 54-56; Tone, 377; Tone II, 126-140). In 1958-1959, trials of Librium had been conducted on adults in prisons, hospitals, outpatients, and office settings, and showed unanimity of results (Tone II, 135). The marketing campaign made two main points: (1) Librium was a new chemical agent and not a manipulated molecule; (2) Librium was versatile in treating a multiplicity of anxiety states (Tone II, 136-137).