- Strategic Alliance with Roche
- In October 2002, Chugai merged with Nippon Roche, a wholly owned subsidiary of Roche, and the surviving entity, Chugai Pharmaceutical, became a member of the Roche Group. As a result, Chugai Pharmaceutical gained an infrastructure that allows it to expand its business, both in Japan and overseas.
- Development Synergy Effect
- This refers to the synergistic effect that enables each pharmaceutical company to save large amounts of money and time in the new-drug development process by sharing know-how, R&D results, and data from research in progress.
- R&D Portfolio Management
- This refers to the study and implementation of the optimal allocation of management resources to R&D projects, for the commercialisation of new drugs. Adjustments to maximise portfolio value and to appropriately balance investments are important. The set of development plans that are actually being realised is called the "development pipeline".
- Development Pipeline
- The set of products currently under development at a pharmaceutical company, from the initial development stage of each drug until the start of sales, is called the "development pipeline". The terms "product pipeline" and "new-drug pipeline" are also used.
- Molecular Entities
- This refers to any pure substance composed of two or more elements that is formed by a chemical reaction.
- Genomic Antibody Drug Discovery
- Chugai Pharmaceutical has been working on drug development using genes as a drug discovery tool since the 1980s and has incorporated the new concept of "genomic antibody drug discovery" (as distinct from standard "genomic drug discovery") into its approach to antibody drug development. This concept combines the platform technologies we developed previously - antibody engineering, embryological engineering, drug design, protein drug product manufacturing, etc. - with antibody drug discovery.
- Antibody Drugs
- The human body is protected by a defence system that operates by recognising proteins of bacteria, viruses, etc., as foreign substances (antigens) and producing antibody proteins that attack the foreign substances (the antigen-antibody reaction). Drugs that utilize this innate response of the human body are antibody drugs.
- Information Exchange
- Chugai Pharmaceutical and Roche hold regular Joint Research Committee and Joint Development Committee meetings, and regularly exchange information related to R&D in each country and region. This information exchange can be expected to shorten new-drug development periods, enable mutual utilisation of clinical data, etc.
- Joint Ventures
- In joint ventures, Chugai Pharmaceutical participates in R&D projects by actually investing in partner companies.
- Biopharmaceutical Development
- Chugai Pharmaceutical built up know-how in the field of biopharmaceutical drugs through its development of Epogin® and Neutrogin®. Epogin®, a recombinant human erythropoietin preparation, is our flagship product in the renal field. As a treatment for renal anaemia, it has become the backbone of our prescription drug sales. Neutrogin® is an anti-neutropenia drug used for supportive therapy in the oncology field.
- PharmaLogicals Research Pte. Ltd.
- This company was established in May 2002 by three companies: Chugai Pharmaceutical (capital ratio: 48%), Biostar Research Pte. Ltd. (capital ratio: 48%; a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsui & Co., Ltd.), and the Central Institute for Experimental Animals (capital ratio: 4%). Its objective is to look for new biopharmaceuticals by integrating human genome information, animal experiment data, etc., with Chugai Pharmaceutical's drug discovery technology.
- Genentech, Inc.
- Genentech is a leader in the biotechnology industry, with headquarters in South San Francisco, USA. It was established in 1976 by Robert Swanson and Dr. Herbert Boyer, a pioneer who established the basic techniques of genetic recombination. The company successfully mass-produced human insulin and human growth hormone. It joined the Roche Group in 1990.
- Forerunner Pharma Research Co., Ltd.
- This company was established in April 2005 by three companies: Chugai Pharmaceutical (capital ratio: 85%), Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (capital ratio: 14%), and the Central Institute for Experimental Animals (capital ratio: 1%). Its objective is to conduct innovative drug searching by integrating the leading-edge findings and information possessed by universities and research institutions with Chugai Pharmaceutical's own drug development technologies.
- C&C Research Laboratories
- This company was established in January 1992 as a joint venture between Chugai Pharmaceutical (capital ratio: 50%) and Choongwae Pharma Corp. (South Korea) (capital ratio: 50%). Its new-drug laboratory in Hwaseong (Gyeonggi Province, South Korea) conducts research commissioned by its two parent companies and also exploratory research based on its own ideas.
