Monsanto the disposition of product lines unrelated to agriculture. In 1985, Monsanto acquired G. D. Searle & Company, a life sciences company that focused on pharmaceuticals, agriculture and animal health. In 1993, its Searle division filed a patent application for Celebrex, which in 1998 became the first selective COX‑2 inhibitor to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Celebrex became a blockbuster drug and was often mentioned as a key reason for Pfizer's acquisition of Monsanto's pharmaceutical business in 2002. In 1994, Monsanto introduced a recombinant version of bovine somatotropin, brand-named Posilac. Monsanto later sold this business to
Edgar Monsanto Queeny the founders of the company's research and development laboratory. Edgar M. Queeny Park in Town and Country, MO is named after him. Edgar Monsanto Queeny Edgar Monsanto Queeny (September 29, 1897 - July 7, 1968) was a US industrialist, chairman of the Monsanto corporation from 1928 until his retirement in 1960. Edgar Monsanto Queeny was the son of John Francis Queeny and his wife, Olga Méndez Monsanto. In the First World War, he served as a seaman in the US Navy. Edgar Monsanto Queeny took over the leadership of Monsanto, which had been founded by his father, in 1928. At