Chugai embarked on a strategic alliance with Roche in 2002 and one of the strategic advantages is its ability to concentrate resources on innovative research. With a development pipeline that includes projects in-licensed from Roche and projects from our own research, we are able to maintain a robust R&D portfolio. Moreover, conducting global development of our projects in collaboration with Roche enables us to focus personnel and funds on projects and create a steady succession of innovative drugs.

In the early conceptual and research stages, including basic research, we acquire new candidate compounds by making use of our external network in addition to our in-house efforts.

Chugai is expected to continuously create products with value equal to or greater than the projects generated by Roche and Genentech. This expectation also serves as a driving force to enhance our innovativeness.

By accumulating collaborative research in which we provide our highly useful drug discovery technology and know-how, and academia contributes their new discoveries, we are building a productive external network. In May 2016, we entered into an agreement with Osaka University for comprehensive collaboration with the Immunology Frontier Research Center (IFReC). In 2017, Chugai opened a Collaboration Promotion Laboratory and started full-fledged activities.

Chugai also focuses on building external partnerships.
Partnering activities are conducted from both in-partnering and out-partnering perspectives. In-partnering initiatives aim to access external innovation through various means such as academic or research collaboration, technology licensing, R&D partnerships, asset in-licensing, acquisitions. On the other hand, out-partnering efforts focus on expanding opportunities for the company’s own technologies and products through activities like R&D and tech services, technology or asset out-licensing, spin-out, divestment, commercial services.

In July 2023, we established Chugai Venture Fund, LLC in the U.S. to invest in drug discovery start-ups, which began full operations in January 2024. We aim to accelerate our proprietary drug discovery engine through continuous investment in venture companies.

Chugai Venture Fund Starts Investment Activities in Drug Discovery Start-Ups to Accelerate Innovation (Dec 19, 2023)[PDF 215KB]
Chugai Venture Fund, LLC (CVF)