Group Laboratories | Flushing Meadows Sloane St, Bryanston, Sandton, 2021, Gauteng

Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham announced their intention to merge in January 2000. The merger was completed in December that year, forming GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). The company's global headquarters are at GSK House, Brentford, London, officially opened in 2002 by then Prime Minister Tony Blair. The building was erected at a cost of 300 million pounds and as of 2002 was home to 3,000 administrative staff. GSK completed the acquisition of New Jersey-based Block Drug in 2001 for 1.24 billion dollars. In 2006 GSK acquired the US based consumer healthcare company CNS Inc., whose products included Breathe Right nasal strips and FiberChoice dietary supplements, for 566 million dollars in cash. Chris Gent, previously CEO of Vodafone, was appointed chairman of the board in 2005. GSK opened its first R and D centre in China in 2007, in Shanghai, initially focused on neurodegenerative diseases. Andrew Witty became the chief executive officer in 2008. Witty joined Glaxo in 1985 and had been president of GSK's Pharm