■ Sponsored Session:
Title: Ever-Present Challenges of the Research World
Speaker: Tomoyuki Igawa
Vice President, Head of Research Division, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Tomoyuki Igawa, Vice President and Head of the Research Division at Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., delivered the presentation titled “Advancing Healthcare Through Cutting-Edge Technology.” He introduced Chugai as a drug discovery-oriented pharmaceutical company and a member of the Roche Group, with Roche owning a majority of Chugai’s stock. Despite this, Chugai remains an independent entity listed on the Tokyo stock market. Dr. Igawa emphasized Chugai’s mission to bring Japanese scientific innovation to the global stage, a philosophy reflected in the company’s name, meaning “inside and outside” in Japanese.
Celebrating Chugai’s 100th anniversary, Dr. Igawa highlighted the company’s significant growth since the alliance with Roche, with revenue increasing more than sevenfold and operating profit by twenty-one fold. This growth is largely driven by the global success of Chugai’s original drug products, for example an anti-IL-6 receptor antibody widely approved for multiple indications including the treatment of severe pneumonia caused by the COVID-19. Dr. Igawa noted that Chugai’s drug discovery strategy differs from other pharmaceutical companies by focusing on developing proprietary technologies applicable across various disease areas rather than specializing in specific disease area.
Chugai’s approach, which Dr. Igawa termed “disease area agnostic drug discovery,” involves applying unique technologies to address unmet medical needs, resulting in innovative drug products. He highlighted several technological advancements, including bispecific and recycling antibodies (degradation-inducing antibodies), which have expanded the range of druggable targets and modes of action. For instance, a bispecific antibody for hemophilia A mimics the function of factor VIII and has become a significant product for Chugai, contributing to the health of 26,000 patients globally.
Dr. Igawa also discussed Chugai’s development of mid-sized molecules, bridging the gap between small molecules and antibodies, which allows for the targeting of previously undruggable intracellular proteins. In the course of technological innovation leading to the development of mid-sized molecule, GLP-1 receptor agonists were successfully developed, resulting in a successful collaboration and licensing agreement.
Chugai’s commitment to quality-centric drug discovery ensures high success rates in clinical development, with a 100% success rate in phase 3 trials. Dr. Igawa attributed this success to Chugai’s focus on developing high-quality drug candidates without compromising speed.
To conclude, Dr. Igawa emphasized Chugai’s dedication to open innovation and collaboration with academia, startups, and other partners to accelerate Chugai’s modality technologies with novel targets and technologies. This collaborative approach aims to address unmet medical needs and deliver innovative drugs globally. Dr. Igawa highlighted Chugai’s affiliated company, Chugai Venture Fund, which accelerate the creation of innovation through investments in new targets and technologies.
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