Harold Snyder
Harold Snyder | |
---|---|
Born | April 25, 1922 |
Died | December 18, 2008 (age 86) |
Nationality | American |
Education | B.A. New York University M.A. Columbia University |
Occupation | Businessman |
Known for | founder of Biocraft Laboratories |
Spouses |
|
Children | Beryl Snyder Brian Snyder Jay Snyder |
Harold Snyder (April 25, 1922 – December 18, 2008) was an American businessperson who started Biocraft Laboratories, one of the earliest manufacturers of generic drugs.
Early life and education
Snyder was born to a Jewish family[1] in Manhattan and attended Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn. He attended New York University for his undergraduate studies and was awarded a master's degree from Columbia University in 1950, majoring in natural science.[2]
Biocraft Laboratories
He founded Biocraft Laboratories in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, in 1964 together with his wife Beatrice, who headed the company's financial operations and developed its inventory system.[3] The firm produced antibiotics, such as penicillin and tetracycline, waiting for the expiration of patents on brand-name medications and then producing generic equivalents at lower prices.[2] Biocraft was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1985, with Snyder stating that it was the first generic drug manufacturer to be listed on the Big Board.[3]
The Snyders played a major role in establishing the standards and approval process with the
The firm was able to produce generic versions in 1981 of
The firm opened a plant in Missouri in the 1980s that produced the active ingredients for the company's medications, and shipped those products to the Biocraft facilities in New Jersey for assembly and distribution.[2]
Bioremediation
After a pipe burst at the company's Waldwick, New Jersey facilities, 33,000 gallons of chemicals contaminated the soil and groundwater at the site. Together with his employees, Snyder developed a technique to pump
Teva Pharmaceutical
With annual sales of $150 million at the time, Biocraft was taken over by
Death
A resident of Manhattan and Westhampton, New York, Snyder died at age 86 on December 18, 2008, in Manhattan due to respiratory failure.[2] His first wife, Beatrice, died in 1998, when they had been living in Cliffside Park, New Jersey.[3] Snyder was survived by his second wife, Tamar Hirschl, three children, Beryl, Brian and Jay and six grandchildren.[2][7]
References
- ^ Jewish Telegraphic Agency: "Big Jewish Names on Clinton Foundation List" December 19, 2008
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Pearce, Jeremy. "Harold Snyder, Generic Drug Pioneer, Is Dead at 86", The New York Times, January 13, 2009. Accessed January 14, 2009.
- ^ a b c d Staff. "Beatrice Snyder, 74, Generic-Drug Official", The New York Times, June 30, 1998. Accessed January 14, 2009.
- ^ Freudenheim, Milt. "Business and Health; On Approving Generic Drugs", The New York Times, July 9, 1991. Accessed January 14, 2009.
- ^ Hayes, Thomas C. "BIG DRUG CONCERNS FIGHT F.D.A.", The New York Times, May 9, 1981. Accessed January 14, 2009.
- ^ Carney, Leo H. "INVENTOR SAYS HE'S IGNORED", The New York Times, November 6, 1983. Accessed January 14, 2009.
- ^ American Friends of Rabin Medical Center Fall 2009