Forbes: Cocaine Eyedrops Used to Detect Parkinson's
Santen Pharmaceutical Company HistoryDoctors might someday use cocaine to diagnose Parkinson's disease in a rather unconventional way: via drops to the eye. By comparing the amount of pupil dilation caused by an eye drop used in ophthalmology offices to dilation from a cocaine eye drop, researchers in Japan said they could accurately identify people with Parkinson's. "This eye drop test is a potential diagnostic tool for Parkinson's disease," said Dr. Shun Shimohama, senior author of a research letter published in the Feb. 23 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. However, he pointed out that autonomic neuropathy -- damage to the nerves that regulate the involuntary part of the nervous system -- may affect the results.
Nine years after its foundation, Santen launched Daigaku Eye Drops, which became a hit product and supported the Company's growth in the early years. Today, more than a century after the launch of our first product, the Daigaku Eye Drops brand remains the longest-selling eye drop brand in Japan...In the early days of the Meiji Era, foreign doctors visiting Japan were surprised at the prevalence of ophthalmic disorders. The great demand for eye drops in Japan led to the launch of Daigaku Eye Drops. With the confident advertising slogan, "With modern progress, eye drops have become this outstanding" and a trademark featuring a gentleman with a mustache and glasses that conjured up the image of an authoritative university professor, the product soon became well known nationwide.
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