Chugai Pharmaceutical Co.
| Type | Incorporation |
|---|---|
| Headquarters |
Nihonbashi Mitsui Tower, Nihonbashi Muromachi 2-1-1, Chūō, Tokyo |
| Website |
Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (中外製薬株式会社 Chūgai Seiyaku Kabushikigaisha) 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. Osamu Nagayama is the current representative director, chairman, and CEO and Tatsuro Kosaka is the current representative director, president, and COO.
History
- 1961 developed patents for synthesis of vitamin A
- 1995 acute promyelocytic sphere of drug treatment leukemia Vesanoid was released.
- 1996 anti-viral chemotherapeutic agent Hivid released (HIV reverse transcriptase inhibitor)
- 1997 HIV protease inhibitor Invirase released
- 1999 immunosuppressive agent Cellcept released
- 2000 Release of an antiemetic drug Kytril developed to combat the side effects of chemotherapy
- 2001 Produced an anti-influenza virus Tamiflu (Roche)
- 2001 Discovered a malignant lymphoma target molecule Rituxan
- 2001 Released Herceptin, a novel breast cancer therapeutic
Other notable developments
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.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Category:Chugai Pharmaceutical. |
- Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
- The transfer of operations of the Company [1]
