Smith, Kline & French (SKF) was an American pharmaceutical company.

In 1830, John K. Smith opened a drugstore in Philadelphia, and his younger brother, George, joined him in 1841 to form John K Smith & Co. In 1865, Mahlon Kline joined the company, as a bookkeeper. In 1875, he took on additional responsibilities as a salesman and added many new and large accounts, as a reward the company, Mahlon K Smith and Company, was renamed into Smith, Kline and Company.^[1]

In 1891, Smith, Kline and Company acquired French, Richards and Company, founded in 1844 by Clayton French and William Richards, which provided the company with a greater portfolio of consumer brands. The combined business became the Smith, Kline and French Company.^[1]

In 1932, SKF chemist Gordon Alles was awarded a patent for amphetamine.^[1]

In 1968, the company acquired Recherche et Industrie Thérapeutiques in Belgium.^[2]

SmithKline acquired Allergan in 1982, an eye and skincare business, and merged with Beckman Instruments, Inc., a company specialising in diagnostics and measurement instruments and supplies. After the merger the company was renamed SmithKline Beckman.^[1]

SmithKline Beckman and Beecham Group merged in 1989 to form SmithKline Beecham plc. In 2000, SmithKline Beecham merged with Glaxo Wellcome to form GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).^[3]