The Art of Innovation

“Our collaboration has been a long journey we’ve taken together that has yielded great results”
this is how Diana Bracco, President and CEO of the Group, describes Bracco’s successful experience in Japan.

It all began in 1990 with the signing of a major agreement between Bracco and Eisai Co., Ltd.—Japan’s fifth-largest pharmaceutical group, with 198 billion yen in revenue in 1989, 15% of which was invested in research. The joint venture was the result of successful investments in major foreign markets, such as the United States, Western Europe, and Japan itself. During those years, exports accounted for 65.7% of Bracco’s total sales.

The first agreement signed with Eisai had a term of 19 years; the Bracco-Eisai joint venture served as the licensee in Japan for all new contrast agents for medical imaging derived from Bracco’s research, including the definition of marketing strategy and clinical development. It was 51% owned by Bracco and 49% by Eisai, with its headquarters in Tokyo and a production facility in Misato City (三郷市), about an hour from the capital. All preparations imported by Bracco-Eisai were packaged at this facility at various stages of processing.

The entity created under this agreement, as described in one of the bracco.com issues—the company’s in-house publication launched in 1998—had approximately 30 employees and was managed by a committee comprising both Italian and Japanese members. Contrast media shipped from the Group’s various production sites arrived at the Eisai and Bracco-Eisai plants, where they were prepared, dissolved, and packaged for the Japanese market. The products were marketed through an extensive network of Japanese medical representatives, and the company also maintained strong ties with some of the world’s leading academic and research centers.

On August 7, 2001, the new facilities in Saitama Prefecture (埼玉県), near Tokyo, were inaugurated; covering an area of approximately 4,000 m², they employed about 20 people. Those years were marked by ongoing debates on advances in diagnostic imaging. In October 2001, Bracco organized two symposia in collaboration with the European School of Oncology, events attended by leading Italian and Japanese experts in the field. It was an opportunity to discuss the potential and limitations of diagnostic procedures such as ultrasound, CT scans, and MRI. The technological advances of the period were discussed, both in terms of equipment and the contrast agents used to better identify lesions and distinguish benign from malignant ones.

Also in 2001, Bracco was among the promoters of “Italia in Giappone”. The initiative was launched under the auspices of the Italia in Giappone Foundation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the goal of showcasing the most significant aspects of Italian culture—in the fields of economics, technology, art, and culture—to the Japanese public.

Speaking of culture, Bracco has always supported Italian culture around the world through art exhibitions, concerts, and publications. In 2008, it sponsored the La Scala Philharmonic’s tour of Asia, an extraordinary event that followed the one held a year earlier in the United States. During the 2008 Asian Tour, under the baton of Maestro Myung-Whun Chung (an American-Korean conductor and pianist), the Philharmonic presented four exceptional programs in Japan, Korea, and China—three rapidly developing countries that are of paramount importance to the Group’s internationalization strategy.

The Bracco-Eisai joint venture was renewed twice and dissolved effective March 31, 2023; the partnership, which lasted for over 30 years, ended in order to respond quickly and flexibly to the changing landscape of the healthcare sector. The new Bracco Japan Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, was established through the acquisition of all Bracco-Eisai shares held by Eisai.

In 2024, with an event at the Italian Embassy in Tokyo—attended by Ambassador Gianluigi Baenedetti—and a major scientific symposium, the Bracco Group celebrated the launch of its direct presence in the Japanese market. This marked the founding of the independent company Bracco Japan which will pursue a new, independent path as both a manufacturer and distributor of contrast agents. “But our work will not stop there,” said Fulvio Renoldi Bracco, Vice President and CEO of Bracco Imaging. “In keeping with our tradition, our company’s commitment will extend beyond commercial activities. We are committed to promoting medical innovation in Japan, with numerous new products currently in development, and we will work ever more closely with the Japanese radiology community to listen to its needs and tackle tomorrow’s healthcare challenges together.”

A prime example of synergy, friendship, and mutual respect between Bracco and Japan is the Expo 2025 Osaka experience. The Bracco Group, the Official Gold Sponsor of the Italian Pavilion, organized numerous initiatives throughout the six-month exhibition. During Health and Wellness Week, it hosted major scientific events dedicated to personalized medicine and various forms of diagnostic imaging; in particular, the Centro Diagnostico Italiano and Bracco Imaging presented on the topics of longevity, sustainability in radiology, and artificial intelligence applied to imaging. Bracco supports the dance school of the Accademia Teatro alla Scala, which presented a preview performance on the occasion of Italy’s National Day on the 11th and 12th. But the heart of Bracco’s participation in the Expo has been the Itō Mancho cultural project, a portrait of the young Japanese diplomat painted in 1585 by Domenico Tintoretto, which was studied through a comprehensive campaign of multidisciplinary diagnostic analyses: “Before shipping Domenico Tintoretto’s portrait to Osaka, coordinated by Fondazione Bracco and supervised by Prof. Isabella Castiglioni and her team, we undertook a comprehensive diagnostic investigation campaign into the painting”, explained Diana Bracco, President & CEO. “Long have we believed art and science are a winning combination. For years now, we’ve been offering the Bracco Group’s expertise in diagnostic imaging – a field in which we are a global leader – to help analyze and restore Italy’s cultural heritage. Moreover, we are very pleased that our video installation has become part of Expo’s legacy and remained on display at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts as part of the celebrations marking 160 years of relations between Italy and Japan.”