The Desire to Deliver New Medicines to Patients Worldwide as Soon as Possible
- Kenta Kagaya
- Bachelor’s Degree Holder for 2003 and Master’s Degree Holder for 2005
- Research Headquarters of Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation
I work in research and development, motivated by Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma’s philosophy of “We contribute to the healthier lives of people around the world through the creation of pharmaceuticals,” with the goal of delivering new medicines to patients worldwide as soon as possible — even if it’s just a single day sooner. The creation of new medicines requires well over a decade and significant research and development costs, with many tests along the way to ensure efficacy and safety; only after receiving official approval can they finally be released to the market. My work focuses on pharmacological study in particular, and my mission is the search for target molecules and optimizing chemical compounds. The former of these involves working to identify drug targets by integrating information on medical needs with empirical and theoretical hypotheses based on experiments and literature. The latter of these involves optimizing lead compounds into new drug candidates by analyzing the interactions between lead compounds, based on target molecule mechanisms, through in vitro evaluations of cells and tissues and in vivo evaluations of model animals in pathological conditions. Both of these require originality, speed, and patient perseverance, but the work is exceptionally rewarding, and there is no mistaking the fact that my studies and experiences at the University of Toyama laid the foundation for my work in drug development.Allow me to finish with two quotes that sum up the pleasures of working in research and development:
Imagination is more important than knowledge. - Albert Einstein -
Stay hungry, stay foolish. - Steven Paul “Steve” Jobs
Working to Reliably Provide High-Quality Products to Patients
- Akito Yamamoto
- Bachelor’s Degree Holder for 2013 and Master’s Degree Holder for 2015
- Toyama Technical Center of Astellas Pharma Tech Co., Ltd.
I currently work in pharmaceutical manufacturing at a pharmaceutical company, with a focus on manufacturing fermentation-based drugs (APIs). When you think of manufacturing work, you might imagine a job where you do the same work over and over, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. In order to reliably provide high-quality products to patients, we need to maintain an efficient product manufacturing system. In addition, the process of fermentation involves different techniques from working with chemicals: we are working with microorganisms (living things), so continuous stable production is no easy feat. We develop hypotheses using not only manufacturing process results, but also data from past experiments and research and analysis results based on the literature. We then test whether these hypotheses are correct, entering the results into our database. By repeatedly developing and testing hypotheses, we make constant improvements to our manufacturing system, in order to get to the core of what we do in our work.
The labs I took part in as an undergraduate student and as a graduate student involved no microorganisms nor animals; I worked on fluorescent labeling of target proteins, which may seem entirely unrelated to the work I do today, but the process necessary to achieve my goals is completely identical. The things I learned as a student trained me in the skills necessary to develop that process. I hope to continue using the experience I developed at the University of Toyama in the future, and improve my knowledge and technique in a variety of fields, in order to contribute to society.
The Daily Satisfaction of Working as a Pharmacist
- Yuri Kinoshita
- Bachelor’s Degree Holder for 2017
- Nishio Pharmacy of Alterna Co., Ltd.
I work as a pharmacist at a pharmacy in Toyama Prefecture. I dispense medicines based on prescriptions written by doctors, then give them to the patients. Each time, I check things like whether the directions and dosage prescribed are appropriate, or whether the medicines prescribed will have any unwanted effects on patients’ conditions, in order to ensure that patients receive safe medicines. Medicines are used to treat illnesses, but at the same time, they can be very dangerous, or even fatal, if used incorrectly. Pharmacists work to protect the health of patients, making for very rewarding day-to-day work.
As a student, I did foundational research on pharmacokinetics for my graduation research. At first glance, gene analysis, cellular experiments, and animal experiments might not seem to have any direct connection to the work I do today, yet I often find myself feeling that the experience I developed back then has connections to my work today. This has included things like how to provide logical explanations to other medical workers and to patients, fundamental ways of thinking that help me make educated guesses about drug interactions, and more.
At the University of Toyama, students learn more than just pharmacological knowledge; the university also cultivates a sense of intellectual curiosity. I look forward to continuing to apply what I learned at the university, in order to keep contributing to patients’ health.
Generic Drug Approval Reviews and International Work
- Ryosuke Kuribayashi
- Bachelor’s Degree Holder for 2003, Master’s Degree Holder for 2005 and Ph.D. Holder for 2016
- Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency
- Generic Drug Testing Department
I currently work in generic drug approval review, and am involved in international work.
Generic drug testing is based mainly on the document specifying product quality, provided by the applicant pharmaceutical company, and the results of the bioequivalence study. For the quality assessment, we start by confirming how the generic drug is produced (manufacturing method), then examine whether the medicine produced meets specified control items (standards). For the bioequivalence tests, we compare the drug concentration in the blood of people to whom the original drug and the generic drug have been administered, in order to examine whether the generic drug is equally efficacious to the original drug, and to test for safety.
My international work involves participation in the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) and the International Generic Drug Regulators Pilot (IGDRP), which aims to bring about more consistent review and approval processes through convergence and cooperation. Based on discussions on various countries’ examination standards and procedures, I have been working to find ways to make Japan’s drug examinations more efficient. Through my work with these international councils, I hope to improve the efficiency of pharmaceutical companies’ drug development, improving the health of people nationwide while also reducing their medical costs.
Both parts of my work help improve the health of people nationwide, making for work that I feel is worth doing.