is a Japanese

pharmaceutical company The pharmaceutical industry is a Medicine, medical industry that discovers, develops, produces, and markets pharmaceutical goods such as medications and medical devices. Medications are then administered to (or Self-medicate, self-administered b ...

best known for developing Crestor. Medical supply and brand name also uses katakana (シオノギ). Shionogi has business roots that date back to 1878, and was incorporated in 1919. Among the medicines produced are for

hyperlipidaemia Hyperlipidemia is abnormally high levels of any or all lipids (e.g. fats, triglycerides, cholesterol, phospholipids) or lipoproteins in the blood. citing: and The term ''hyperlipidemia'' refers to the laboratory finding itself and is also use ...

antibiotics An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting pathogenic bacteria, bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the therapy ...

, and

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

medicines. In Japan it is particularly known as a producer of antimicrobial and antibiotics. Because of

antibiotic resistance Antimicrobial resistance (AMR or AR) occurs when microbes evolve mechanisms that protect them from antimicrobials, which are drugs used to treat infections. This resistance affects all classes of microbes, including bacteria (antibiotic resis ...

and slow growth of the antibiotic market, it has teamed up with US based

Schering-Plough Schering-Plough Corporation was an American pharmaceutical company. It was originally the U.S. subsidiary of the German company Schering AG, which was founded in 1851 by Ernst Christian Friedrich Schering. As a result of nationalization, it becam ...

merged in 2009
with

Merck & Co Merck & Co., Inc. is an American Multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey. The company does business as Merck Sharp & Dohme or MSD outside the United States and Canada. It is one of the ...

) to become a sole marketing agent for its products in Japan. Shionogi had supported the initial formation of Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals, a generic manufacturer based in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. In 2012 the company became a partial owner of

ViiV Healthcare ViiV Healthcare ( ) is a British multinational pharmaceutical company specializing in the research and development of medicines to treat and prevent HIV/AIDS. Its global headquarters is located in London. The company was created as a joint ...

, a pharmaceutical company specialising in the development of therapies for

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

. The company is listed on the

Tokyo Stock Exchange The , abbreviated as Tosho () or TSE/TYO, is a stock exchange located in Tokyo, Japan. The exchange is owned by Japan Exchange Group (JPX), a holding company that it also lists (), and operated by Tokyo Stock Exchange, Inc., a wholly owned sub ...

and Osaka Securities Exchange and is constituent of the

Nikkei 225 The Nikkei 225, or , more commonly called the ''Nikkei'' or the ''Nikkei index'' (), is a stock market index for the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE). It is a price-weighted index, operating in the Japanese yen, Japanese Yen (JP¥), and its compone ...

stock index. In June 2023, Shionogi announced its acquisition o
Qpex Biopharma
for approximately $140m.

Medicines

Released

* Avelox, antibacterial

antiseptic An antiseptic ( and ) is an antimicrobial substance or compound that is applied to living tissue to reduce the possibility of sepsis, infection, or putrefaction. Antiseptics are generally distinguished from ''antibiotics'' by the latter's abil ...

that treats a number of infections. *

Claritin Loratadine, sold under the brand name Claritin among others, is a medication used to treat allergies. This includes allergic rhinitis (hay fever) and hives. It is also available in drug combinations such as loratadine/pseudoephedrine, in whic ...

, An anti-histamine marketed in alliance with

. * Crestor, cholesterol drug , marketing rights sold to

AstraZeneca AstraZeneca plc () (AZ) is a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with its headquarters at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in Cambridge, UK. It has a portfolio of products for major diseases in areas includi ...

in 1998. * Cymbalta, an SNRI class anti-depressant, marketed in alliance with

Eli Lilly Eli Lilly (July 8, 1838 – June 6, 1898) was a Union Army officer, pharmacist, chemist, and businessman who founded Eli Lilly and Company. Lilly enlisted in the Union Army during the American Civil War and recruited a company of men to ...

. * Differin (developed by

Galderma Galderma SA is an American-Swiss pharmaceutical company specializing in dermatological treatments and skin care products. Formerly a subsidiary of L'Oréal and Nestlé, it was acquired by a consortium of private institutional investors in 20 ...

), a topical retinoid for

acne Acne ( ), also known as ''acne vulgaris'', is a long-term Cutaneous condition, skin condition that occurs when Keratinocyte, dead skin cells and Sebum, oil from the skin clog hair follicles. Typical features of the condition include comedo, ...

, marketed in Japan in alliance with Galderma. * Fortamet * Methylin * Mogadon, a short-term treatment for

insomnia Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder where people have difficulty sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep for as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low ene ...

. * Mulpleta, a thrombopoietin receptor agonist. * Osphena, an estrogen receptor agonist, marketing rights sold to Duchesnay in 2017. * Symproic, a

μ-opioid receptor The μ-opioid receptors (MOR) are a class of opioid receptors with a high affinity for enkephalins and beta-endorphin, but a low affinity for dynorphins. They are also referred to as μ(''mu'')-opioid peptide (MOP) receptors. The prototypical ...

antagonist, for opioid-induced constipation treatment. * Xofluza, an

endonuclease In molecular biology, endonucleases are enzymes that cleave the phosphodiester bond within a polynucleotide chain (namely DNA or RNA). Some, such as deoxyribonuclease I, cut DNA relatively nonspecifically (with regard to sequence), while man ...

inhibitor, for influenza treatment. * Ensitrelvir, the first Japanese domestic pill to treat

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

Under development

* (BGE-175), a DP1 receptor antagonist under development for treatment of COVID-19 in elderly patients and allergic rhinitis.

Media

* Shionogi (and later Shinonogi Healthcare) has been the sponsor of Fuji Television Network, Inc.'s " Music Fair" since it started in 1964. In January 2025, Shionogi has decided to remove its name from the show, due to the Fuji TV - Masahiro Nakai scandal. A Shionogi representative said in an interview, "I believe that Fuji Television should provide an explanation of the facts and future actions as soon as possible". * Shionogi was a main sponsor of

Team Lotus Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport categories including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, American Championship Car Racing, Ind ...

in the team's final years between 1991 and 1994.

References

External links

Official Website

Official U.S. Website
{{Authority control Biotechnology companies of Japan Companies listed on the Osaka Exchange Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Companies in the Nikkei 225 Japanese brands Manufacturing companies based in Osaka Pharmaceutical companies established in 1878 Pharmaceutical companies of Japan COVID-19 vaccine producers