FEATURE

The Five Innovations of the Chugai Pharmaceutical

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  01

  Our Founder’s Strong Determination to Save the People Before His Own Eyes

  

  Chugai Pharmaceutical’s founder, Juzo Ueno, held a strong sense of mission to “create medicines that will benefit the world,” after witnessing the tragedy of the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and the serious shortage of medicines that ensued.
  As a commerce graduate, Ueno was unfamiliar with medicines, but he did not let that stop him and he put all his efforts into studying pharmacy.
  In 1925, he established Chugai Shinyaku Shokai, the forerunner of Chugai Pharmaceutical. That determination has been passed down to the present day.

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  02

  Specializing in Prescription Pharmaceuticals - A Dramatic Shift in Strategy Sows Seeds for Future Growth

  

  For many years after its foundation, Chugai Pharmaceutical’s main business was the development and distribution of non-prescription drugs, that is medicines sold over the counter in outlets such as pharmacies and supermarkets.
  In 1966, however, Chugai Pharmaceutical made a bold decision. It resolved to shift from OTC drugs to prescription pharmaceuticals. It also started to focus on immunology as a new field of research.
  Chugai Pharmaceutical’s choice to specialize in prescription pharmaceuticals aimed to help patients who require more sophisticated treatments.

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  03

  Alliance with Roche to accelerate advanced R&D and globalization

  

  In 2002, Chugai Pharmaceutical formed a strategic alliance with Roche, one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical manufacturers. This alliance enabled Chugai to market Roche products in Japan and expand Chugai products globally. Net sales have approximately quadrupled compared to before the alliance, and operating profit has expanded by around 8.5 times*. With this move, Chugai is now able to deliver drugs to many more patients and to make concentrated investments into more innovative new drug development projects from more a stable profit foundation.
  * As of December, 2019

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  04

  Seeking Further Innovations to Fulfil Unmet Medical Needs

  

  Chugai Pharmaceutical is working to fulfil unmet medical needs through the development of new drugs for diseases, including cancer and rheumatoid arthritis, for which effective therapies have yet to be established. It is in finding the answers to unsolved problems that it will be able to make a contribution to those patients who are suffering from these diseases. Chugai Pharmaceutical’s raison d'être is to continue to create new and innovative pharmaceuticals that will fulfil unmet medical needs and to contribute to global medicine and human health.

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  05

  Promotion of Personalized Healthcare (PHC) to Treat Each and Every Patient

  

  Personalized Healthcare (PHC) refers to the testing of each individual patient’s illness at the molecular level and providing optimal treatment that is tailored to the individual. Chugai Pharmaceutical is a pioneer in PHC in Japan and has made contributions to the development of this field.
  As the message, “Look not at the cancer, but at the person” suggests, we will continue to use genome analysis and AI technologies to address not only the illnesses, but the patients out there suffering from those illnesses.