[The development of the Japanese pharmaceutical industry (Part 8) - the change of opium alkaloid opioid analgesics in Japanese pharmaceutical companies.].

After the Japan-England Friendship and Commercial Treaty of 1858 (Ansei 5), narcotic drugs have been strictly regulated by laws. The production of opium alkaloid analgesics, mainly morphine, became active in Japan after World War I (1918, Taisho 7). Having released the "Cancer Pain Relief" guideline by the WHO in 1986 (Showa 61) and the morphine sulfate controlled-release tablet "MS Contin" in 1989 (Heisei 1) in Japan, the demand for morphine in Japan expanded remarkably. Today, several more kinds of strong opioid analgesics are available for cancer pain treatment in Japan. An increase in the use of strong opioid analgesics is expected in the future.