Bial 100 Years

BIAL and advertising

Over the years, there were several advertising campaigns for BIAL products – and they were always very creative!

BIAL’s name

In 1919, young Álvaro Portela – at the time working in the well-known Farmácia do Padrão – is said, later Farmácia do Padrão, is said to have suggested to Mr. Almeida (the owner) the set-up of a small industrial unit, with some machines, in order to better serve their customers. They then tried to register the new company as “Laboratórios Biol” (for Biology), but to no avail. Next came the idea to try BIAL - with "Bi", which is a prefix that means twice or two, and "al", which is a syllable repeated both in Álvaro and in Almeida. And that"s how BIAL came into being!

The first head office

BIAL had its head office on Rua de Heróis de Chaves (now Rua D. João IV), on the corner with Rua Fernandes Tomás, at Porto. It remained until 1996.

From Consul to Commander

Álvaro Portela was Colombia’s honorary consul and received an award for Industrial Merit from the President of Portugal in 1928. In 1946, he was honored as Commander of the Military Order of Christ, receiving the Commander of the Order of Industrial Merit award in 1949.

Port wine or Benzo-Diacol?

Creativity was always part of the mindset of BIAL. In one commercial initiative in the early 1930s, packages of Benzo-Diacol labeled “special” and containing port wine were given to medical and pharmacy students a at the time of the Queimas das Fitas graduation festivities.

A Commander and honoris causa doctorate

In 1992, Luís Portela was honoured as Commander of the Order of Merit. He was awarded two other distinctions, both given by the President of the Portuguese Republic: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit (2002) and Grand Cross of the Order of Public Instruction (2020).

Besides, in 1998, he is awarded an honoris causa doctorate by the Medicine Faculty of Cádiz, Spain – receiving a further three in the following years: Porto University, Pharmaceutical Faculty of Coimbra University and Medicine Faculty of Lisbon University.

Curiosities

When celebrating 100 years, we remember several histories that belong to our history.

Get to know some curiosities about BIAL here!