Astellas Pharma
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese pharmaceutical company
, formed on 1 April 2005 from the merger of and .
Astellas' franchise areas are urology
, immunology
(transplantation
), dermatology
, cardiology
, and infectious disease
. Priority areas for R&D are infectious disease
s, diabetes, gastrointestinal diseases, oncology
, and diseases of the central nervous system
.
The company's headquarters are in Tokyo
, with research
centers in Tsukuba and Osaka
. Clinical development is centred in Deerfield, Illinois
and Leiderdorp
, Netherlands
. Combined revenues of the two pre-merger companies were $7.9 billion in 2004. Worldwide the company employs about 17,000 people.
, and was renamed Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co. in 1943.
Yamanouchi Yakuhin Shokai was started in 1923 by Kenji Yamanouchi in Osaka. The company was renamed Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co. in 1940 and moved to Tokyo in 1942.
Both companies started their overseas expansion at about the same time, opening offices in Taiwan
in 1962 and 1963, respectively, and in the United States and Europe from 1977 onwards. Fujisawa acquired Lyphomed in 1990 and thereafter established its US R&D center in Deerfield, Illinois
. Yamanouchi's R&D center in Leiderdorp
was established with the acquisition of the pharmaceutical division of Royal Gist Brocades in 1991.
Fujisawa and Yamanouchi combined in a "merger of equals," forming Astellas Pharma on 1 April 2005.
At least some of its older products continue to be distributed under the original brand, ostensibly due to high brand-name recognition.
On June 9, 2010, Astellas acquired OSI Pharmaceuticals
for $4.0 billion.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese pharmaceutical company
Pharmaceutical company
The pharmaceutical industry develops, produces, and markets drugs licensed for use as medications. Pharmaceutical companies are allowed to deal in generic and/or brand medications and medical devices...
, formed on 1 April 2005 from the merger of and .
Astellas' franchise areas are urology
Urology
Urology is the medical and surgical specialty that focuses on the urinary tracts of males and females, and on the reproductive system of males. Medical professionals specializing in the field of urology are called urologists and are trained to diagnose, treat, and manage patients with urological...
, immunology
Immunology
Immunology is a broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. It deals with the physiological functioning of the immune system in states of both health and diseases; malfunctions of the immune system in immunological disorders ; the...
(transplantation
Organ transplant
Organ transplantation is the moving of an organ from one body to another or from a donor site on the patient's own body, for the purpose of replacing the recipient's damaged or absent organ. The emerging field of regenerative medicine is allowing scientists and engineers to create organs to be...
), dermatology
Dermatology
Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin and its diseases, a unique specialty with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist takes care of diseases, in the widest sense, and some cosmetic problems of the skin, scalp, hair, and nails....
, cardiology
Cardiology
Cardiology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the heart . The field includes diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease and electrophysiology...
, and infectious disease
Infectious disease
Infectious diseases, also known as communicable diseases, contagious diseases or transmissible diseases comprise clinically evident illness resulting from the infection, presence and growth of pathogenic biological agents in an individual host organism...
. Priority areas for R&D are infectious disease
Infectious disease
Infectious diseases, also known as communicable diseases, contagious diseases or transmissible diseases comprise clinically evident illness resulting from the infection, presence and growth of pathogenic biological agents in an individual host organism...
s, diabetes, gastrointestinal diseases, oncology
Oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer...
, and diseases of the central nervous system
Central nervous system
The central nervous system is the part of the nervous system that integrates the information that it receives from, and coordinates the activity of, all parts of the bodies of bilaterian animals—that is, all multicellular animals except sponges and radially symmetric animals such as jellyfish...
.
The company's headquarters are in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, with research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
centers in Tsukuba and Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
. Clinical development is centred in Deerfield, Illinois
Deerfield, Illinois
Deerfield is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States and is located approximately 25 miles north of Chicago, Illinois. A portion of the village is in Cook County, Illinois, United States...
and Leiderdorp
Leiderdorp
Leiderdorp is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland near the city of Leiden. It had a population of 26,182 in 2004....
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. Combined revenues of the two pre-merger companies were $7.9 billion in 2004. Worldwide the company employs about 17,000 people.
History
Fujisawa Shoten was started in 1894 by Tomokichi Fujisawa in OsakaOsaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, and was renamed Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co. in 1943.
Yamanouchi Yakuhin Shokai was started in 1923 by Kenji Yamanouchi in Osaka. The company was renamed Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co. in 1940 and moved to Tokyo in 1942.
Both companies started their overseas expansion at about the same time, opening offices in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
in 1962 and 1963, respectively, and in the United States and Europe from 1977 onwards. Fujisawa acquired Lyphomed in 1990 and thereafter established its US R&D center in Deerfield, Illinois
Deerfield, Illinois
Deerfield is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States and is located approximately 25 miles north of Chicago, Illinois. A portion of the village is in Cook County, Illinois, United States...
. Yamanouchi's R&D center in Leiderdorp
Leiderdorp
Leiderdorp is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland near the city of Leiden. It had a population of 26,182 in 2004....
was established with the acquisition of the pharmaceutical division of Royal Gist Brocades in 1991.
Fujisawa and Yamanouchi combined in a "merger of equals," forming Astellas Pharma on 1 April 2005.
At least some of its older products continue to be distributed under the original brand, ostensibly due to high brand-name recognition.
On June 9, 2010, Astellas acquired OSI Pharmaceuticals
OSI Pharmaceuticals
OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an American pharmaceutical company based in Long Island, New York with facilities in Colorado, New Jersey and the United Kingdom. OSI specializes in the discovery and development of molecular targeted therapies, and was listed in the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index...
for $4.0 billion.
Products
Some of the key products produced by Astellas include:- Prograf (tacrolimusTacrolimusTacrolimus is an immunosuppressive drug that is mainly used after allogeneic organ transplant to reduce the activity of the patient's immune system and so lower the risk of organ rejection...
) - Prevention of post-transplant organ rejection - Protopic (tacrolimusTacrolimusTacrolimus is an immunosuppressive drug that is mainly used after allogeneic organ transplant to reduce the activity of the patient's immune system and so lower the risk of organ rejection...
ointment) - Atopic dermatitis (eczemaEczemaEczema is a form of dermatitis, or inflammation of the epidermis . In England, an estimated 5.7 million or about one in every nine people have been diagnosed with the disease by a clinician at some point in their lives.The term eczema is broadly applied to a range of persistent skin conditions...
) - Amevive (alefaceptAlefaceptAlefacept is a genetically engineered immunosuppressive drug sold under the brand name Amevive in Canada, the United States, Israel, Switzerland and Australia. It is used to control inflammation in moderate to severe psoriasis with plaque formation, where it interferes with lymphocyte activation...
) - Plaque psoriasisPsoriasisPsoriasis is an autoimmune disease that appears on the skin. It occurs when the immune system mistakes the skin cells as a pathogen, and sends out faulty signals that speed up the growth cycle of skin cells. Psoriasis is not contagious. However, psoriasis has been linked to an increased risk of... - VESIcare (solifenacin succinate) - Overactive bladderOveractive bladderOveractive bladder is a urological condition defined by a set of symptoms: urgency, with or without urge incontinence, usually with frequency and nocturia. Frequency is usually defined as urinating more than 8 times a day. The International Continence Society is responsible for this definition...
(OAB) - Flomax (tamsulosinTamsulosinTamsulosin is an α1a-selective alpha blocker used in the symptomatic treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia . Tamsulosin was developed by Yamanouchi Pharmaceuticals and is marketed by various companies under licence, including Boehringer-Ingelheim and CSL...
hydrochloride) - Benign prostatic hyperplasiaBenign prostatic hyperplasiaBenign prostatic hyperplasia also known as benign prostatic hypertrophy , benign enlargement of the prostate , and adenofibromyomatous hyperplasia, refers to the increase in size of the prostate....
(BPH) - Adenocard (adenosine injection) - Pharmacologic stress agent for myocardial perfusion scanMyocardial perfusion scanMyocardial perfusion scan is a nuclear medicine procedure that illustrates the function of the heart muscle .It evaluates many heart conditions from coronary artery disease to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and myocardial wall motion abnormalities. The function of the myocardium is also evaluated by...
- Adenoscan (adenosine injection) - Pharmacologic stress agent for myocardial perfusion scanMyocardial perfusion scanMyocardial perfusion scan is a nuclear medicine procedure that illustrates the function of the heart muscle .It evaluates many heart conditions from coronary artery disease to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and myocardial wall motion abnormalities. The function of the myocardium is also evaluated by...
- Lexiscan (regadenosonRegadenosonRegadenoson is an A2A adenosine receptor agonist that is a coronary vasodilator. It produces maximal hyperemia quickly and maintains it for an optimal duration that is practical for radionuclide myocardial perfusion imaging....
injection) - Pharmacologic stress agent for myocardial perfusion scanMyocardial perfusion scanMyocardial perfusion scan is a nuclear medicine procedure that illustrates the function of the heart muscle .It evaluates many heart conditions from coronary artery disease to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and myocardial wall motion abnormalities. The function of the myocardium is also evaluated by... - Vaprisol (conivaptanConivaptanConivaptan is a non-peptide inhibitor of antidiuretic hormone . It was approved in 2004 for hyponatremia caused by syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone , and there is some evidence it may be effective in heart failure...
) - HyponatremiaHyponatremiaHyponatremia is an electrolyte disturbance in which the sodium concentration in the serum is lower than normal. In the vast majority of cases, hyponatremia occurs as a result of excess body water diluting the serum sodium and is not due to sodium deficiency. Sodium is the dominant extracellular... - AmBisome (amphotericin BAmphotericin BAmphotericin B is a polyene antifungal drug, often used intravenously for systemic fungal infections...
) - Anti-fungal - Mycamine (micafungin sodium) - Anti-fungal
- Vibativ (telavancinTelavancinTelavancin is a bactericidal lipoglycopeptide for use in MRSA or other Gram-positive infections. Telavancin is a synthetic derivative of vancomycin....
) - AntibioticAntibioticAn antibacterial is a compound or substance that kills or slows down the growth of bacteria.The term is often used synonymously with the term antibiotic; today, however, with increased knowledge of the causative agents of various infectious diseases, antibiotic has come to denote a broader range of... - Sumavel DosePro (sumatriptanSumatriptanSumatriptan is a triptan sulfa drug containing a sulfonamide group. It is used for the treatment of migraine headaches. Sumatriptan is produced and marketed by various drug manufacturers with many different trade names such as Sumatriptan, Imitrex, Imigran, Imigran recovery.-Approval and...
needle-free injection) - MigraineMigraineMigraine is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by moderate to severe headaches, and nausea... - Symoron (methadoneMethadoneMethadone is a synthetic opioid, used medically as an analgesic and a maintenance anti-addictive for use in patients with opioid dependency. It was developed in Germany in 1937...
HCLHydrochlorideIn chemistry, hydrochlorides are salts resulting, or regarded as resulting, from the reaction of hydrochloric acid with an organic base . This is also known as muriate, derived from hydrochloric acid's other name: muriatic acid....
) - narcotics misuse cessation - Tarceva (erlotinibErlotinibErlotinib hydrochloride is a drug used to treat non-small cell lung cancer, pancreatic cancer and several other types of cancer. It is a reversible tyrosine kinase inhibitor, which acts on the epidermal growth factor receptor . It is marketed in the United States by Genentech and OSI...
) - non-small cell lung cancerLung cancerLung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
and pancreatic cancerPancreatic cancerPancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...