The Distillers Company controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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1986
Guinness share-trading fraud
The Guinness acquisition of Distillers was accompanied by improper share-trading activity intended to support Guinness's takeover bid. The resulting affair became known as the Guinness share-trading fraud and generated significant legal and reputational consequences.
1958
Thalidomide and Distaval
Distillers Biochemicals marketed thalidomide in the United Kingdom as Distaval and later under additional trade names. Promotional material presented the drug as safe, but it was subsequently linked to severe birth defects and nerve damage. The episode became a major pharmaceutical safety and corporate-responsibility controversy.