History

The Luden's brand was originally created by William H. Luden

William H. Luden

William H. Luden was the developer of the menthol cough drop. He launched a backroom candy business in 1879 in the rear of his father's jewelry shop at 35 N. 5th St., Reading, Pennsylvania, USA. His "factory" was his family's kitchen...

 in 1879, and included several products such as candy

Candy

Candy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added...

 and throat drops.

Luden's was acquired in 1928 by Food Industries of Philadelphia, a holding company owned by the Dietrich family. In 1980 the company acquired Queen Anne Candy Co, based in Hammond, IN. The Dietrich family sold Luden’s Inc. to Hershey Foods Corp

The Hershey Company

The Hershey Company, known until April 2005 as the Hershey Foods Corporation and commonly called Hershey's, is the largest chocolate manufacturer in North America. Its headquarters are in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which is also home to Hershey's Chocolate World. It was founded by Milton S...

. in 1986.

During its heyday under Dietrich ownership Luden’s produced a variety of candy confections in addition to its better-known cough drops. The company's popular 5th Avenue

5th Avenue (candy)

The 5th Avenue is a candy bar currently marketed by The Hershey Company.The candy bar was reportedly introduced in 1936 by Luden's, at the time a subsidiary of Food Industries of Philadelphia...

 candy bar, which Hershey still produces, was introduced 1936.http://www.hersheys.com/products/details/fifthavenue.asp.

The Luden's throat drops brand was sold by Hershey's to Pharmacia

Pharmacia

Pharmacia was a pharmaceutical and biotechnological company in Sweden.-History:Pharmacia was founded in 1911 in Stockholm, Sweden by pharmacist Gustav Felix Grönfeldt at the Elgen Pharmacy. The company is named after the Greek word φαρμακεία, transliterated pharmakeia, which means 'sorcery'...

 in 2001. In 2003, Pharmacia was acquired by Pfizer

Pfizer

Pfizer, Inc. is an American multinational pharmaceutical corporation. The company is based in New York City, New York with its research headquarters in Groton, Connecticut, United States...

http://www.pfizer.com/pfizer/history/2003.jsp. In 2006, Pfizer sold its consumer products division, including the Luden's line, to Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson is an American multinational pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company is listed among the Fortune 500....

.

As of 2007, packages of Luden's throat drops displayed the slogan "Trusted Luden's Care - Everyone needs a little TLC".

In November of 2009 Blacksmith Brands announced that it had completed its acquisition of Ludens over-the-counter consumer products brands from McNEIL-PPC, Inc.

In late 2010, Prestige Brands

Prestige Brands

Prestige Brands, Inc. is a company that manufactures personal care and home cleaning products. It was formed by the merger of Medtech Products, Inc., Prestige Brands International, and The Spic and Span Company...

 had acquired Blacksmith Brands.

Ingredients

The Luden's Brand throat drops are a demulcent

Demulcent

A demulcent is an agent that forms a soothing film over a mucous membrane, relieving minor pain and inflammation of the membrane. Demulcents are sometimes referred to as mucoprotective agents. Demulcents such as pectin, glycerin, honey, and syrup are common ingredients in cough mixtures...

, meaning a swelling or irritation reliever. The active ingredient

Active ingredient

An active ingredient is the substance of a pharmaceutical drug or a pharmaceutical ingredient and bulk active in medicine; in pesticide formulations active substance may be used. Some medications and pesticide products may contain more than one active ingredient...

 is pectin

Pectin

Pectin is a structural heteropolysaccharide contained in the primary cell walls of terrestrial plants. It was first isolated and described in 1825 by Henri Braconnot...

, a soluble gelatinous polysaccharide

Polysaccharide

Polysaccharides are long carbohydrate molecules, of repeated monomer units joined together by glycosidic bonds. They range in structure from linear to highly branched. Polysaccharides are often quite heterogeneous, containing slight modifications of the repeating unit. Depending on the structure,...

 that is present in ripe fruits. This places a coating on the throat allowing for the block of irritants and to reduce swelling. The drops' inactive ingredients include sugar and artificial colors.