oyster shell calcium, was the breakout drug that Kauffman used to keep his company growing. Numerous other successful drugs and innovative marketing approaches followed, which made his drug company one of the most successful in America. His five thousand–dollar initial investment into the company was churning out $1 billion in sales by the late 1980s. Marion Labs merged with Merrell Dow in 1989, which was then bought out by Marion Roussel Hoechst for $7.1 billion in 1995.