Vincent Chemical Company

Australian, founded 1919

BiographyDr Harry John Clayton, medical superintendent of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, took a headache remedy then in general use, composed of phenacetin and caffeine, and by adding aspirin created a new compound analgesic he called APC powder.
A partnership to manufacture and sell APC was formed in 1919, it included J.A. Vincent who was an assistant dispenser at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and a pharmacist. The company (Vincent Chemical Company) and the product (Vincent's APC) were named after J.A. Vincent so Clayton could distance himself from a commerical product as pracitising physcian.

The company was reformed in 1923 after which is started to make a profit, in 1930 it registered Vincent's APC as a trademark. In the 1930s the company invested heavily in advertising inscreasing its market share.

The Vincent Chemical Company replaced the phenacetin in the formulation in the early 1970s after it was found to be addictive and caused nephropathy. Phenacetin was banned in Australia in 1979.

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