Frank Milan Berger (1913–2008)
The phenomenal marketplace success of meprobamate, a rather ordinary drug, can be attributed to creative and aggressive publicity and its timely introduction. Its humble beginning can be traced to a British research laboratory in the mid-1940s, where Frank Berger, a medically trained scientist from what is now the Czech Republic, was investigating possible preservatives for penicillin. One of these compounds was mephenesin, which upon further testing showed muscle-relaxing effects and, as he termed it, a “tranquilizing” effect in rodents. It was, however, too weak and too short-acting.
FIRST BLOCKBUSTER “TRANQUILIZER.” Berger was Director of Research at Wallace Laboratories when, in 1950, he and chemist Bernard Ludwig synthesized meprobamate, a compound that was more potent and longer-acting than mephenesin. Marketed as a “tranquilizer” for the relief of anxiety, tension, and muscle spasms under the trade name Miltown (a village in New Jersey), it was an immediate success. Within months of its introduction in 1955, it was the best-selling drug in the United States, and by 1957, one out of three prescriptions was written for Miltown or Equanil, the Wyeth Laboratories brand of meprobamate. Supplies in pharmacies could not keep up with demand. The first TV star in the United States, Milton Berle, called himself “Miltown Berle.”
By 1960, the balloon burst! The drug was not as safe and abuse-free as it was purported to be. Doses not greatly in excess of those used for medical purposes were found to cause dependence, and the symptoms associated with meprobamate withdrawal were similar to withdrawal from barbiturates and alcohol. Sales declined precipitously. In 1965, meprobamate was removed from a list of “minor tranquilizers” and, more appropriately, reclassified as a sedative. Federal restrictions were imposed on its prescribing and refilling. That same year, Johnny Cash was arrested returning from Mexico with 655 amphetamine and 475 Equanil tablets in his guitar case. He was fined and given a 30-day suspended jail sentence.
Meprobamate’s decline was also hastened by the arrival of the benzodiazepines Librium (1960) and Valium (1963). These drugs had tranquilizing effects that could relieve anxiety without the excessive sedation.
SEE ALSO Alcohol (c. 10,000 BCE), Nembutal and Seconal (1928), Penicillin (1928), Amphetamine (1932), Librium (1960), Valium (1963), BuSpar (1986).
Plate II from Charles Darwin’s The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872), Chapter VII, “Low Spirits, Anxiety, Grief, Dejection, Despair.” After their introduction, Miltown and Equanil (trade names for meprobamate) were the best-selling drugs in the anxiety-prone United States.