How Bayer patented aspirin and kept it out of Allied hands during WWI
The Pill That Changed the World
Today, aspirin is one of the most common and affordable medications globally — used to relieve pain, reduce fever, and even prevent heart attacks. But over a century ago, it was a cutting-edge pharmaceutical that Germany guarded like a military secret.
The story of aspirin’s global journey is not just one of science, but also of war, patents, and international politics.
Bayer’s Breakthrough
In 1897, a chemist at Bayer named Felix Hoffmann synthesized a stable form of acetylsalicylic acid, a compound based on the natural pain-relieving properties of willow bark. Bayer branded it Aspirin — combining “a” for acetyl, “spir” for Spiraea ulmaria (meadowsweet), and “in,” a common pharmaceutical suffix of the time.
Bayer patented the name Aspirin in several countries, ensuring it could control the manufacture and sale of the drug across much of the industrialized world.
From Pharmacy to Propaganda
When World War I broke out in 1914, Bayer — and by extension, Germany — held exclusive rights to produce aspirin in key markets. It was considered such a vital drug that Germany restricted its export to enemy nations, turning it into a strategic wartime resource.
In fact, during the war, the United States classified aspirin as “enemy property” because Bayer was a German company. The U.S. government seized Bayer’s American assets, including the trademark for Aspirin, under the Trading with the Enemy Act.
This led to Bayer losing control of the aspirin name in the U.S., where it soon became a generic term, much like “thermos” or “escalator.”
A Bitter Pill for Bayer
After the war, Bayer’s pharmaceutical empire never quite recovered its monopoly on aspirin. The name Aspirin became generic in many countries, especially where Bayer’s patents had expired or been seized. The company spent decades trying — and failing — to regain exclusive control over the brand name in various global markets.
The Legacy
What started as a medical breakthrough became a pawn in one of history’s largest global conflicts. Today, aspirin is a household staple, but few realize it was once considered a secret weapon of the German Empire — one that influenced both pharmacy shelves and foreign policy.