Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan; President: Taro Iwamoto) completed its drug discovery research building "10th Research Center" on April 26 on the site of its Tokushima Research Institute.

The "10th Research Center" is a five-story, steel-framed reinforced concrete building incorporating a seismically isolated structure and is connected to the synthesis research building. This drug discovery research building brings together the pharmacology division, which determines the properties of drug candidate compounds, and the synthesis division. The design provides a "collaboration hall" and free access lounges for researchers where they can freely exchange information and have discussions outside their own research fields. The small laboratories, which maintain their independence and mobility, pursue the research topics on the central nervous system, cardiovascular, endocrinologic, respiratory, gastrointestinal and inflammatory diseases. The purpose was to increase interchanges among researchers and promote creative drug discovery based on a new "concept."

Basic research in Otsuka Pharmaceutical is performed at the research institutes in Tokushima and Shiga in Japan, the Otsuka Shanghai Research Institute in China and the Otsuka Maryland Medicinal Laboratories, Inc. in the United States. Clinical development research is conducted globally at the New Drug Development Division in Japan, the Otsuka Beijing Research Institute in China, Korea Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in Korea, Otsuka Frankfurt Research Institute GmbH in Europe and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development and Commercialization Inc. in the United States. Each of these research institutes undertakes drug development based on interconnecting networks to fulfill unmet medical needs, especially in the priority fields of the central nervous system and cancer, where R&D on cutting edge new drugs that can benefit patients is performed. The 10th Research Center is positioned as a core laboratory for basic research in the global system of Otsuka Pharmaceutical.

Based on its corporate philosophy of 'Otsuka-people creating new products for better health worldwide', Otsuka Pharmaceutical is dedicated to contributing to the health and wellbeing of people around the world.

Summary of the 10th Research Center