Evolving with Purpose
Innovation is in our DNA. Since 1931, we’ve been dedicated to saving and sustaining lives. From pioneering IV solutions in the 1930s to today’s connected healthcare technologies, our journey has been defined by bold thinking, strategic transformation, and an unwavering focus on patients and the clinical experts who care for them.
Our commitment going forward
The story of Baxter is not only about where we’ve been; it’s about where we’re headed. Building on our legacy of breakthrough therapies and solutions, we’re driving toward a future of Connected Care: seamlessly linking technologies, products, and data to improve outcomes and transform the patient experience.
Affiliated Brands: Past & Present
Over the decades, we’ve evolved through both acquisitions and divestitures, strategically sharpening our focus on the areas where we can make the greatest impact. Recent acquisitions, such as when Baxter acquired Hillrom, have strengthened our portfolio and accelerated innovation in connected care.
- Hillrom: a leader in smart beds, surgical equipment and care communications technologies that helped expand Baxter’s reach across the care journey.
- Welch Allyn: diagnostic technologies empowering clinicians worldwide.
- Bardy Dx: ambulatory cardiac monitoring solutions.
- Synovis MCA: microsurgery technologies supporting complex surgical procedures.
Each acquisition has played a role in shaping Baxter into a more agile and innovative healthcare company, while divestitures have allowed us to focus on what we do best. For instance, we divested our portfolio of exceptional kidney care and vital organ therapies into a new, separate brand: Vantive.
Our History
For nearly a century, we've been focused on saving and sustaining lives
Baxter was founded in 1931, however our history doesn't have one starting point. Our commitment to addressing unmet needs was built on the shoulders of healthcare pioneers whose work resulted in first-of-its-kind innovations in IVs, renal care, nutrition, respiratory, hospital beds and today's connected care.
Our First Decade of Innovation
In 1931, Drs. Ralph Falk and Don Baxter launched the Don Baxter Intravenous Products Corporation, the first commercial manufacturer of prepared IV solutions. By the decade’s end, we changed our name to Baxter Laboratories, Inc. and opened our first manufacturing facility in Glenview, Illinois. Separately, in New York, Dr. Francis Welch and William Allyn established Welch Allyn in 1915, while William Hillenbrand founded Hill-Rom Co. in 1929 in Indiana. Both companies would later become a part of Baxter.
Expanding our Global Presence
In 1954, we went international, opening an office in Belgium. Two years later, we produced the first commercial dialysis system, followed by the first peritoneal dialysis (PD) solution in 1960. In the 1950s, Hillrom introduced its first electronic high-low bed to help clinicians care for their patients. A year later, we began trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
A New Millennium of Innovation
The 2000s saw a number of our core products come to market, including a new bariatric bed to support the needs of patients, Progressa (an ICU-focused bed platform), Sevoflurane (an inhaled anesthetic used in surgery), V-LINK (the first IV connector with an antimicrobial coating), and Artiss (a slow-setting fibrin sealant used to adhere skin grafts in burn patients).
Growing the Baxter Footprint
In the 2010s, we made strategic acquisitions to enhance our pharmacy automation offerings, smart infusion pumps, microsurgery products, injectable pharmaceuticals, and more. We gained important approvals globally and collaborated with leading institutions on research and clinical development.
Harnessing Connected Technology
In the 2020s, we began a journey to connect and integrate our medical devices with hospital systems, opening the door for exciting innovation. It all started by expanding the software in our infusion pumps, adding safety guardrails to every patient infusion. In late 2021, Baxter acquired Hillrom Holdings, Inc., bringing together two connected care leaders to redefine healthcare delivery for the next chapter. Lastly, we spun off our biopharmaceuticals (Baxalta — 2015), contract manufacturing (Simtra — 2023), and kidney care (Vantive — 2025) businesses to focus on hospital and outpatient care.
