Photo courtesy of Genexa
Eight years ago, two Los Angelenos, David Johnson and Max Spielberg, found themselves confused over cold and flu medicine for their children. “We saw unpronounceable ingredients on the side of every package, and it was kind of an ‘a-ha’ moment for the two of us,” says Johnson.
The duo decided to do things differently and founded Genexa, the world’s first clean medicine company.
Photo courtesy of Genexa
The brand, which is now based in Atlanta, includes over 35 items ranging from a kid’s pain and fever medicine to a kids’ allergy medicine to an adult antacid. All products are made with active ingredients included in other medications such as acetaminophen and dextromethorphan, but without any additives, preservatives, or dyes.
The line is certified gluten-free, non-GMO verified, and free from common allergens and uses ingredients like organic blueberries to sweeten the children’s medications instead of artificial blueberry flavoring. Genexa sits on the shelves at most major retailers.
For Johnson, who has no prior pharmaceutical experience, it made sense as a business idea. “Every other industry was shifting towards clean and better-for-you ingredients from makeup to food and beverages, but no one was taking on the massive category of drugs,” he says.
Since launching, the brand has successfully raised $60 million. It has notable investors, including Gwenyth Paltrow and Donald Glover to Unilever Ventures. Johnson is proud to be Atlanta-based, the place he and his wife decided to call home during the pandemic. “Now that I’ve come to Atlanta, I wouldn’t go anywhere else,” he says. “It offers great consumer packaged goods companies to pull talent from, and it’s a melting pot. The pharmaceutical belt is on this side of the country. It’s easier operationally to be based here.”
