Tokyo Tanabe

Tokyo Tanabe was a prominent Japanese pharmaceutical company headquartered in Tokyo, established in 1921. The firm specialized in the research, development, and commercialization of ethical pharmaceuticals, with a strong focus on gastroenterology, respiratory medicine, and vitamin-based therapies. One of its most successful products was Selbex (teprenone), a widely prescribed treatment for gastritis and gastric ulcers. The company also pioneered Surfacten, a life-saving pulmonary surfactant for neonatal respiratory distress syndrome. In October 1999, Tokyo Tanabe merged with the pharmaceutical division of Mitsubishi Chemical to form Mitsubishi-Tokyo Pharmaceuticals, which eventually evolved into the modern-day Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma.