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Bayer pushed heroin over aspirin β€” because aspirin scared them. πŸ’‰
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Dark HistoryAug 20, 2026

Bayer pushed heroin over aspirin β€” because aspirin scared them. πŸ’‰

Bayer pushed heroin over aspirin β€” because aspirin scared them. πŸ’‰ . . . In 1897, Bayer chemist Felix Hoffmann synthesized both drugs eleven days apart. Executives thought heroin was gentler on the body and non-addictive, while aspirin might weaken the heart. So heroin got the big marketing budget from 1898 to 1910 β€” sold as a cough syrup for children β€” and aspirin was almost shelved.

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Source

Diarmuid Jeffreys, 2004, 'Aspirin: The Remarkable Story of a Wonder Drug'

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