About Shionogi Inc.

History of Shionogi & Co., Ltd.

Shionogi & Co., Ltd., headquartered in Osaka, Japan, was established in 1878, when Gisaburo Shiono founded a drug wholesaling business in Osaka, Japan. Today, Shionogi is a leading Japanese pharmaceutical company with a corporate mission to “constantly strive to provide superior medicine essential to people’s health.” Shionogi’s core business is ethical pharmaceuticals—with a strategic focus on infectious diseases, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, cancer, and chronic pain.

For the fiscal year ending March 31, 2010, Shionogi & Co., Ltd., employed more than 6,000 staff worldwide, reported consolidated revenues of approximately $3.0 billion, and invested approximately $550 million in R&D.

Shionogi & Co., Ltd. is listed on the Tokyo and Osaka stock exchanges under the symbol (4507).

History of Shionogi Inc.

The US group headquarters of Shionogi & Co., Ltd., was established in 2001 as Shionogi USA, Inc. Shionogi USA was initially formed as a clinical development and regulatory center of excellence—advancing the development of compounds discovered by Shionogi‘s Research Labs as well as other partners. In 2008, Shionogi & Co., Ltd. acquired Sciele Pharma, which had been marketing branded pharmaceutical products in the US since 1992. In January 2010, Sciele changed its name to Shionogi Pharma Inc., and has served as a commercial center of excellence for Shionogi in the US. In July 2010, Shionogi Inc. was established as the US group headquarters for Shionogi, with a single leadership team that oversees both the commercial and R&D activities of Shionogi that take place in the US. Shionogi Inc. unites two centers of excellence in the United States—with New Jersey containing group headquarters, corporate strategy, clinical development, and regulatory affairs groups and Atlanta focused on sales, marketing, and distribution through the Shionogi Pharma, Inc. subsidiary.

Shionogi Key Events

  • 1878 – Gisaburo Shiono founds drug wholesaling business
  • 1892 – Shionogi begins manufacturing chemicals
  • 1909 – First pharmaceutical product, Antacidin, launches
  • 1949 – Stocks listed on Security Exchange of Tokyo and Osaka
  • 1963 – Animal health, agricultural chemicals, and clinical laboratory testing businesses start
  • 1978 – 100th anniversary
  • 1992 – Acquisition of capsule business from Eli Lilly & Co.
  • 2001 – Shionogi USA established; agricultural chemicals business divested
  • 2001 – Joint venture, Shionogi-GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals LLC, established
  • 2002 – Animal health and clinical testing businesses divested to intensify focus on ethical pharmaceuticals
  • 2003 – US approval of rosuvastatin calcium, marketed under the brand name “Crestor” by Astra Zeneca
  • 2003 – Industrial chemicals business divested
  • 2008 – Acquisition of Sciele Pharma Inc., Atlanta, GA
  • 2010 – Shionogi established Shionogi Inc.