Research and Development
For a more indepth look at the global research and development of Otsuka Group please click here.
Otsuka Europe is committed to the research, development and marketing of innovative pharmaceutical products that address unmet medical needs in our key therapeutic areas, particularly in our specialist areas specialist areas of cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and central nervous system disorders.
Based in Germany since 1982, the Otsuka Frankfurt Research Institute is one of Europe's leading research institutions. Its Managing Director, Dr Norbert Hittel, oversees a team of approximately 40 people who conduct research in all phases of clinical development in Europe (Phases I, II, III and IV).
In 2005 the company's overall R&D spending increased by more than a quarter to €730 million.
In our experience, being truly innovative requires having a particular faith in the people who work for you. We firmly believe in the creativity of man over machine in the search for true innovation and our history proves the point. Providing the right conditions to nurture individual endeavour was key to one of our early successes. In an Otsuka laboratory in Japan, Dr Tetsuro Kikuchi spent years looking for a schizophrenia treatment. His applied research culminated in a conceptual leap in our understanding of the control of the brain's dopamine flow. We provided the optimum environment in which to foster Dr Kikuchi's talents and inspiration by enabling him to explore his research over a long period of time while the answers remained elusive. Otsuka's belief in Dr Kikuchi's work led to a breakthrough in schizophrenia research, with the potential to benefit millions of sufferers worldwide.
