Shionogi is a leading global pharmaceutical company headquartered in Osaka, Japan. As a research-driven company, it boasts more than 145 years of heritage in scientific innovation. Shionogi’s main focus is on infectious diseases: it has worked on medicines to treat Covid-19, HIV and influenza, and is also tackling the challenge of antimicrobial resistance. The company has been building its presence in the Netherlands since early 2019, and officially opened its European headquarters in Amsterdam in 2022. Today, Shionogi leverages the Dutch life sciences & health ecosystem as the main base for its rapidly expanding European business.
For Shionogi, the decision to set up operations in the Netherlands was influenced by several factors, especially the country’s excellent life sciences and academic infrastructure and vibrant biosciences community. The Dutch capital’s status as a global city also played a role. Huw Tippett, CEO of Shionogi Europe, notes: “The Netherlands, particularly Amsterdam, offers a conducive environment for corporate expansion with its strong heritage in trade, life sciences and research. The strong international community also makes it an attractive location for many Europeans.”
Japanese investment meets the Dutch ecosystem: An ideal collaboration
Shionogi brings significant investment and expertise in life sciences & health to the Netherlands. It is already contributing to the country’s Dementia Fund while advancing research in infectious diseases, hearing loss, sleep disorders and cognitive decline. The Netherlands, in turn, matches Shionogi’s strategic goals with its robust infrastructure, public-private networks and collaborative approach. All this creates a conducive environment for innovation and pharmaceutical development.
“Shionogi’s experience working with the Dutch life sciences & health network has been positive, and we have benefitted from collaboration with academic and innovation institutes, the Health~Holland network and government agencies like NFIA and regional Invest in Holland partners,” says Tippett. These collaborations have supported Shionogi’s research & development efforts and facilitated integration into the local life sciences & health ecosystem.
Zooming out, Shionogi assesses that the European pharmaceutical industry is poised for growth, with Bioscience hubs emerging across Europe bringing innovation in life sciences & health research. This, together with Europe’s position as the second largest healthcare market after the USA, means that Shionogi sees Europe as a key strategic region and is committed to expanding its operations and contributing to improving patients’ lives.
A new public-private approach to tackling antimicrobial resistance
The World Health Organization has declared antimicrobial resistance as one of the top 10 global public health challenges facing humanity. Antibiotics are often described as the building blocks of modern medicine, and without them, many medical procedures would become nearly impossible. Yet the world is running out of effective antibiotics faster than it is developing new ones. This is where companies like Shionogi come in.
Shionogi is at the forefront of efforts to stay ahead of threats posed by highly resistant microbes that can cause untreatable infections. The company believes that all stakeholders in the area of infectious diseases need to think differently and find new ways of working to bring more innovation to this much needed area and build strong therapeutic pipelines for the future. As Tippett says, “We need industry, clinicians, governments and policymakers, regulators and non-profits to all work together to collectively find solutions for this urgent global health crisis.” This includes innovative financing models, such as R&D incentives to encourage more antibiotic drug development (called push incentives) – an area where the Netherlands offers opportunity.
Shionogi is playing its part by advancing scientific research, building forward-thinking partnerships and working with governments to improve access and use of new antibiotics. It is one of the first companies to pioneer agreements in which governments make fixed payments for on-demand access to novel antibiotics, delinked from the volume of medicines sold. Shionogi looks to bring models such as this, aimed at addressing the economic challenges of tackling antimicrobial resistance, to the Netherlands and the European Union as whole. The goal is to ensure that clinicians, healthcare systems and decision-makers can access much-needed treatment options in a fast-changing health landscape.
A growing team for advancing health solutions across Europe
Looking ahead, Shionogi will continue to leverage its European base in Amsterdam to expand its “patients first” solutions across Europe. The company is interested to continue to invest in important research areas like infectious diseases and address emerging challenges like cross-border health security, including pandemic preparedness. To achieve these goals, Shionogi will focus on growing its partnerships in the Dutch ecosystem as well as its workforce in the country – tapping into the local talent pool and bringing in international staff.
One important factor is that Japanese companies have a strong reputation in Europe and are widely respected as stable, trustworthy partners. Culturally, Shionogi’s team benefits from strong links between the Netherlands and Japan.
“Living and working in the Netherlands has been an enriching experience for me and my team,” Tippett observes. “We have often hosted colleagues from across Europe at our Amsterdam office for company meetings and have welcomed our Japanese leadership team and my European Board members on many occasions. The country offers an ideal environment for fostering innovation and collaboration, with its open-minded culture, highly skilled workforce and excellent infrastructure.”
He concludes: “We have found the Dutch to be welcoming and pragmatic, which has helped us integrate and thrive both personally and professionally. We are proud to contribute to the community as we work to advance healthcare solutions for Europe and beyond.”
