Eisai (company)

Eisai (Japaneseエーザイ 株式会社, Ēzai Kabushiki - gaisha, .. Engl Eisai Co., Ltd. ), listed on the Nikkei 225, ISIN JP3160400002, is a global pharmaceutical company in Japan. The company has its head office in Tokyo ( Japan) and employs approximately 9,600 man ( 2007), including 1,500 in research and development. Worldwide sales in fiscal year 2006/ 07 amounted to approximately € 4.3 billion.

The company was founded in 1941 as Nihon Eisai K. K. (日本 卫 材 株式会社, Nihon Eisai Kabushiki - gaisha ) founded in 1955 and received its current name.

Two of the more popular drugs, which developed Eisai, are donepezil (Aricept ® ) for the treatment of dementia and the proton pump inhibitor rabeprazole ( DE, CH: Pariet ®; elsewhere Aciphex ®).