UPJOHN INVESTING $50 MIL. FOR START-UP OF JAPANESE R&D

UPJOHN INVESTING $50 MIL. FOR START-UP OF JAPANESE R&D to be called Upjohn Pharmaceuticals Ltd., the firm announced in a March 5 release. The new subsidiary will develop Upjohn discovered compounds for marketing by Japan Upjohn, the twenty-five year old 55-45 pharmaceutical marketing joint venture between Upjohn and Sumitomo. Upjohn Vice Chairman Theodore Cooper, MD/PhD, said that Upjohn established the new Japanese R&D arm "because we see in Japan a special opportunity to expand our scientific resource base and to broaden our drug-discovery and development efforts." Upjohn said that the new subsidiary will become the firm's largest research facility outside of Kalamazoo, Mich. Udo Axen, formerly director therapeutics products for Upjohn, has been named VP-Pharmaceutical R&D, Japan to head the new subsidiary of the U.S. corporation. Upjohn Pharmaceuticals "will conduct clinical and preclinical studies, direct drug registration activities and institute extensive pharmaceutical research and development activities," Upjohn explained. In addition, Upjohn said that the new subsidiary will also package drugs sold by Japan Upjohn.