PHARMACEUTICALS
CDMOs for pharmaceutical chemicals in Japan
Kazuya Okano of Juzen Chemical shares a general overview of Japanese CDMO businesses for pharmaceutical chemicals
Large Japanese pharmaceutical firms are significant players in the global pharmaceutical industry . Since the 1980s , they have emerged as premier drug discovery companies worldwide through the creation of blockbusters . Japan ’ s world-class innovations include the discovery of quinolone antibiotics ( levofloxacin ), cholesterol-lowering drugs ( pravastatin and rosuvastatin ), immunosuppressive drugs ( tacrolimus ), drugs for Alzheimer ’ s disease ( donepezil ), diabetes drugs ( pioglitazone , canagliflozin and ipragliflozin ), proton pump inhibitors ( lansoprazole and rabeprazole ), and antihypertensive drugs ( diltiazem , candesartan , azilsartan and olmesartan ). As innovators , Japanese pharmaceutical firms are working on many clinical projects in various modalities and are world leaders in developing cutting-edge therapeutics , such as antibody-drug conjugates . According to a CPhI Pharma Insights report , the Japanese pharmaceutical industry is expected to keep its strong position as an innovator in the 2020s . Over 100 domestic Japanese biopharma companies , including many start-ups , are supporting the continuation of Japanese pharmaceutical innovations in the global market . 1
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Figure 1 – Nationalities of new drug innovators