The story
Founded by Louis Lloyd Winter in 1959.1
Private company
Canadian pharmaceutical company
Empire Laboratories was a Canadian pharmaceutical company incorporated on August 21, 1959 as Empire Laboratories Limited by founder Louis Lloyd Winter in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It grew to become the largest pharmaceutical business in Canada during the 1960s, until the death of its founder on November 5, 1965.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0
Last updated Oct 21, 2026.
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Empire Laboratories was a Canadian pharmaceutical company incorporated on August 21, 1959 as Empire Laboratories Limited by founder Louis Lloyd Winter in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It grew to become the largest pharmaceutical business in Canada during the 1960s, until the death of its founder on November 5, 1965.2
Founded by Louis Lloyd Winter in 1959.1
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It is notable for being the first Canadian generic pharmaceutical company that was legally permitted to package its generic medications exactly like its brand name counterparts, in order to prevent consumers from becoming confused when purchasing its lower-cost medications. The only stipulation in the landmark Supreme Court Case ruling of (Parke, Davis & Co. v. Empire Laboratories Ltd., [1964] S.C.R. 351), was that Empire Laboratories was required to place its recognizable "E" trademark identity directly on all of its products to distinguish its products from those of the name-brand pharmaceutical competitors.
From Wikipedia’s article on Empire Laboratories, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3
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