Shionogi

Shionogi & Company, Limited (塩野義製薬株式会社, Shionogi Seiyaku Kabushiki Kaisha) is a Japanese pharmaceutical company 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, antibiotics, and cancer medicines. In Japan it is particularly known as a producer of antimicrobial and antibiotics. Because of antibiotic resistance and slow growth of the antibiotic market, it has teamed up with US based Schering-Plough (merged in 2009 with Merck & Co) 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. In 2012 the company became a partial owner of ViiV Healthcare, a pharmaceutical company specialising in the development of therapies for HIV. The company is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and Osaka Securities Exchange and is constituent of the Nikkei 225 stock index. In June 2023, Shionogi announced its acquisition of Qpex Biopharma for approximately $140m.