Osaka is famous for being a city with a thriving commerce and industry, but I think few people know that the pharmaceutical industry is also thriving.
During the Edo period, a drug wholesaler that handles imported drugs from Qing and the Netherlands opened a store here and formed a Kabunakama officially recognized by the Shogunate. The formed drug town will play a major role in the government's introduction of Western medicine in the modern era.
At present, Shionogi Pharmaceutical, which is often talked about in the development of the first new coronavirus vaccine in Japan, is equivalent to the Pfizer vaccine as a result of the interim report of the clinical trial assuming the third booster dose of the interim report of the clinical trial. It was announced that the effect could be confirmed.
So, this time, I would like to write about the current Shionogi Pharmaceutical's first generation, Gisaburo Shiono.
Modernization of pharmaceuticals after the Meiji era
Currently, in Osaka, Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Tanabe Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Morishita Jintan, Dainihon Jochugiku (Kincho) The head offices of leading Japanese pharmaceutical companies are gathered here.
Shionogi Pharmaceutical is one of them.
During the Edo period, Koan Ogata opened [Tekijuku] in Osaka and generously passed on his skills to aspiring young people, so there was a foundation for medical care and medicine. It is said that Yukichi Fukuzawa, Sanai Hashimoto, Masujiro Omura and others attended the cram school.
However, Koan taught traditional Japanese medicine. In the Meiji era, it became desirable to modernize the medical field as well, and this was also the policy of the government.
In Japan, we want to introduce the world's most advanced technology, so drug wholesalers and others respond and aim to establish a research and development and production system to modernize Japanese pharmaceutical products.
So what kind of person was Shionogi Gisaburo, the founder of Shionogi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.? ??
Gisaburo Shiono is born in the drug town of Osaka
April 14, 1854 , Gisaburo Shiono He was born in Doshomachi, Osaka, where drug wholesalers gather, as the third son of Yoshibei Shiono, the second generation who ran a drug dealer (later Shiono fragrance).
1870 In addition, the second generation, Yoshibei, named Yoshibei to his eldest son, Toyotarou. Gisaburo learned about drug treatment under his third generation, 1878 . It will be separated into a separate house and become independent.
At this time, many business owners studied commerce at other stores as apprentices, but it seems that they were fortunate to learn at their parents' home and become independent.
The beginning and history of Shionogi Pharmaceutical
Drug wholesaler at 3-12 Doshomachi, Osaka, founded by Gisaburo [ Gisaburo Shiono Shoten ] Is later [ Shionogi ] Until the beginning of history.
At the time of its founding, it was a business dealing with Japanese and Chinese medicines, but 1886 Then, with the government taking the initiative in the widespread use of Western medicine, import and sale of Western medicine To start.
Western medicines at that time were distributed via foreign stores in Kobe and Yokohama, and drug wholesalers who were not familiar with trade practices had no choice but to buy them at the high prices of foreign traders.
As a result, Western medicine was surprisingly expensive.
Gisaburo, who thought that Western medicine could not hinder the development of medical care in Japan because of the high price, created a way to directly import medicines by inviting human resources who are fluent in English, and it seems that even ordinary people can reach it. It succeeds in selling at a price.
Other wholesalers have begun to import directly, imitating Yoshisaburo's method. Then, Gisaburo decided to aim for his own drug development in order to differentiate himself from other companies.
The early days of Shionogi supported by two sons
1880 Gisaburo got married and was blessed with two sons, Shotaro and Chojiro.
These sons are Shionogi Will greatly contribute to the development of.
The eldest son, Shotaro, graduated from Hanshin Expressway in 1906 . I started to take on the sales position. He abolished the traditional apprentice and live-in system, such as introducing American-style business management, statistical machines, and computational office machines, and played a major role in modernizing management.
The second son, Chojiro, graduated from the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo Imperial University, and will start working on Shionogi's pharmaceutical business. This is a full-scale pharmaceutical research It is said to be the beginning of.
At that time, Shiono Gisaburo Shoten The management pharmacist is Kenichiro Takasu , the chief pediatrician of Osaka Medical and Pharam Medical University. I heard from a German medical book that an antacid prescription is written.
Chojiro knew that and decided to receive guidance from Takasu.
After research, we started trial production of an antacid, which is a kind of gastrointestinal drug, and succeeded in commercializing it.
This stomachic antacid [ Antatidin ] Is the first memorable new drug developed in-house by Gisaburo Shiono Shoten. It can be said that Shionogi's foresight is also reflected in the fact that the industry-academia collaboration, which is currently active, was carried out at an early stage.
Successful pharmaceutical business starts to get on track
With the commercialization of Antachidin, Gisaburo decided to expand its new drug manufacturing business in earnest. Therefore, a pharmaceutical factory in Nishinari-gun, Osaka [ Shiono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. ] Was newly constructed and made a new start as a pharmaceutical company.
His second son, Chojiro, became the director of Shionogi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. 1910 However, because we were relying on foreign countries for raw materials, we were overwhelmed by imported chemicals and struggled, and management did not go well.
Therefore, Chojiro shifts his policy to the idea that Shionogi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. is not a place where the business is profitable, but a place where it will contribute to the future development of pharmaceuticals. He decided to invite Dr. Heizaburo Kondo, who had just returned from studying in Germany at that time, as an advisor.
It may be that Gisaburo's intimacy and the spirit of self-sacrifice to the development of modern medical care allowed Chojiro to do this kind of disregard for management. It can also be said that he strongly believed in Chozaburo's talent.
As a result of enthusiastic research, the digitalis formulation commercialized in this way was 1912 . Cardiac new drug " Digitamin Will be released as.
Around this time, 1914 World War I The import of foreign pharmaceuticals was cut off, and the pharmaceutical industry was forced to struggle. However, Shionogi's own product [ Digitamin ] Was able to save many people during the war because it actively adopted domestic medicines.
Integrate sales and pharmaceutical businesses into a joint-stock company
1919 After World War I, Shionogi merged with the head family, Shionogi Yoshisaburo Shoten, and the pharmaceutical business, Shionogi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., aiming for further development. [ Shionogi Shoten Co., Ltd. ] Was established.
In addition, 1943 We decided to focus our business on pharmaceuticals, and [ Shionogi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. ] And changed the company name.
Shionogi Pharmaceutical has developed as a pharmaceutical company by combining the individuality and talents of Gisaburo and his eldest son, Shotaro, and second son, Chojiro. Gisaburo is 1920 He had retired from the line and was watching Shionogi's future as a director.
His name was changed from Gisaburo to Yoshikazu, and Shotaro inherited Gisaburo's name and became the second generation, Shiono Gisaburo.
But 1931 Chojiro, who was in charge of the pharmaceutical department, died suddenly of pneumonia.
Perhaps because of that sadness, in December of the same year, Yoshikazu (the first Yoshisaburo) also ended his life in manufacturing and selling pharmaceutical products in Osaka at his retired place in Ikeda City. He was 78 years old.
The achievements that have grown from an old drug wholesaler to a modern pharmaceutical manufacturer are still shining in the history of Japanese medicine.
Origin of Shionogi's company emblem and standard medicines
The famous [ Sedes of Shionogi Pharmaceutical, which was developed after the war. ] And [ Popon S ] Has become a standard medicine for us now.
After World War II, many pharmaceutical industry factories, including Shionogi, were burned and lost.
Therefore, it was not ready to ship medicines, but the second generation, Gisaburo, gathered employees and said, " It's not time to cry unnecessarily. From now on, the world will be our partner. We are all international. Let's work hard to reach the standard "I was inspired to say that.
In fact, the company seems to have gone bankrupt in the midst of turmoil such as inflation and rising prices.
After efforts 1939 The sedative "Sedes", which started as a prescription drug, was released in Japan, and a catch phrase of "Sedes as soon as it hurts" remains in my memory. In addition, Sedes is a palindromic spelling product name "SEDES" because it is an easy-to-read and memorable name based on English (sedative), which means sedative.
1953 In the field of vitamin preparations, which was gaining popularity at that time and was becoming the most important item in Shionogi, we launched the comprehensive vitamin preparation [Popon S]. Am I the only one who can hear the CM phrase of [Vitamin, Mineral ~, Popon S ~ ♪]? ??
The origin of the name "Popon S" is Popon (a vigorous onomatopoeia that means that vitality and motivation are very active) + S of SHIONOGI.
The company emblem of Shionogi is derived from the weight used in the Edo period.
The weight used when weighing medicines is [accurate] [honesty] [trust] . It is a symbol of Shionogi and represents Shionogi's desire to always pursue accuracy. Currently, innumerable medicines are distributed in the world, and safe products can be easily obtained at drug stores.
It goes without saying that it was the drug dealers in Osaka from the Edo period that made this possible, and Gisaburo Shiono and others.