Mercury Drug
Mercury Drug is a pharmacy chain in the Philippines.History
The company began on March 1, 1945 with a single drugstore owned by Mariano Que. He named it after Mercury, the messenger of the gods in Roman mythology, whose caduceus is sometimes used as a symbol of medicine. The logo of the drugstore was made by Alfredo Medinaceli Cabrera.
The store began cutting packaged, bulk items into single pieces and selling them individually; this practice is colloquially called tingí-tingì in Filipino. During its foundation, it is the second oldest established drugstore chain in the country.
Upon the invitation of Ayala Corporation, Mercury Drug opened its second branch in May 1963 at a developing commercial center in Makati now known as the Ayala Center.
In 1965, Mercury Drug established its landmark branch at Plaza Miranda, Quiapo, Manila, which is notable for its large outdoor LED screen.
In 2001, then trade secretary Mar Roxas described Mercury drug as a "near monopoly" and said it has 70 percent share of the domestic market.
As of 2017, Mercury Drug has reportedly over 1000 branches across the country. Recently, it opened a new building, MDC100, located in Eastwood City, Quezon City.
