| Type | Incorporation |
|---|---|
| Headquarters |
Nihonbashi Mitsui Tower, Nihonbashi Muromachi 2-1-1, Chūō, Tokyo |
| Website | [1] |
Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. is a subsidiary drug manufacturer operating in Japan controlled by Hoffmann–La Roche, which owns 52% of the company. Previous to Roche's takeover in 2002, Chugai was a pioneering discoverer of many important pharmaceutical compounds.
Contents |
Scientists at Chugai discovered an erythromycin-derived motilin agonist called Mitemcinal (aka GM-611 or 3'-N-dimethyl-11-deoxy-3'-N-isopropyl-12-O-methyl-11-oxo-8,9-didehydroerythromycin.) Mitemcinal was believed to have strong prokinetic properties, similar to its parent molecule, but lack antibiotic properties. Presently, erythromycin is commonly used off-label for gastric motility indications such as Gastroparesis. If Mitemcinal can be shown to be as effective a prokinetic agent, it would represent a significant advance in the GI field as treatment with this drug would not carry the risk of unintentional selection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.