Japanese winner of U.S. Lasker Award

TSUKUBA, Japan, Sept. 11 Kyodo - Japanese sleep scientist Masashi Yanagisawa, a professor at the University of Tsukuba, attends a press conference at the university in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, on Sept. 10, 2026, after receiving the Lasker Award for basic medical research for identifying orexin and linking its deficiency to narcolepsy. (Kyodo)

Japanese winners of U.S. Lasker Award

Japanese winners of U.S. Lasker Award

Composite photo shows Japanese Lasker Award winners (from L) Takehisa Kitazawa, Kunihiro Hattori and Tomoyuki Igawa of Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., and Masashi Yanagisawa, a professor at the University of Tsukuba. The Chugai researchers received the clinical medical research award for developing a hemophilia treatment, while Yanagisawa won the basic medical research award for identifying orexin and linking its deficiency to narcolepsy.

Japanese winner of U.S. Lasker Award

Japanese winner of U.S. Lasker Award

Japanese sleep scientist Masashi Yanagisawa, a professor at the University of Tsukuba, attends a press conference at the university in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, on Sept. 10, 2026, after receiving the Lasker Award for basic medical research for identifying orexin and linking its deficiency to narcolepsy.

Japanese winner of U.S. Lasker Award

Japanese winner of U.S. Lasker Award

Japanese sleep scientist Masashi Yanagisawa, a professor at the University of Tsukuba, gives a lecture on his research at the university in Tsukuba in Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, on Sept. 10, 2026, after receiving the Lasker Award for basic medical research for identifying orexin and linking orexin deficiency to narcolepsy.

Japanese winner of U.S. Lasker Award

Japanese winner of U.S. Lasker Award

Japanese sleep scientist Masashi Yanagisawa, a professor at the University of Tsukuba, attends a press conference at the university in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, on Sept. 10, 2026, after receiving the Lasker Award for basic medical research for identifying orexin and linking its deficiency to narcolepsy.

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

File photo dated July 01, 2020 - The Guardia di Finanza of Naples has seized in the Port of Salerno a large quantity of drugs, 14 tons of amphetamines, 84 million tablets with the "captagon" logo, produced in Syria by ISIS to finance terrorism. For years, Bschar al-Assad regime secretly netted three times more money than all of Mexico's cartels with a small white pill that everyone from ISIS terrorists to construction workers chased after. Captagon, known locally as the 'drug of jihad', and 'poor man's cocaine', was originally sold as a cure for attention deficit disorders, narcolepsy and depression when it was first developed by a German pharmaceutical firm in 1961. In 1986, Captagon was banned in almost all countries after it was listed as a Schedule II drug by the UN. Photo by Alessandro Garofalo/Newfotosud/napolipress/Fotogramma/IPA/ABACAPRESS.COM

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

File photo dated July 01, 2020 - The Guardia di Finanza of Naples has seized in the Port of Salerno a large quantity of drugs, 14 tons of amphetamines, 84 million tablets with the "captagon" logo, produced in Syria by ISIS to finance terrorism. For years, Bschar al-Assad regime secretly netted three times more money than all of Mexico's cartels with a small white pill that everyone from ISIS terrorists to construction workers chased after. Captagon, known locally as the 'drug of jihad', and 'poor man's cocaine', was originally sold as a cure for attention deficit disorders, narcolepsy and depression when it was first developed by a German pharmaceutical firm in 1961. In 1986, Captagon was banned in almost all countries after it was listed as a Schedule II drug by the UN. Photo by Alessandro Garofalo/Newfotosud/napolipress/Fotogramma/IPA/ABACAPRESS.COM

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

File photo dated July 01, 2020 - The Guardia di Finanza of Naples has seized in the Port of Salerno a large quantity of drugs, 14 tons of amphetamines, 84 million tablets with the "captagon" logo, produced in Syria by ISIS to finance terrorism. For years, Bschar al-Assad regime secretly netted three times more money than all of Mexico's cartels with a small white pill that everyone from ISIS terrorists to construction workers chased after. Captagon, known locally as the 'drug of jihad', and 'poor man's cocaine', was originally sold as a cure for attention deficit disorders, narcolepsy and depression when it was first developed by a German pharmaceutical firm in 1961. In 1986, Captagon was banned in almost all countries after it was listed as a Schedule II drug by the UN. Photo by Alessandro Garofalo/Newfotosud/napolipress/Fotogramma/IPA/ABACAPRESS.COM

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

File photo dated July 01, 2020 - The Guardia di Finanza of Naples has seized in the Port of Salerno a large quantity of drugs, 14 tons of amphetamines, 84 million tablets with the "captagon" logo, produced in Syria by ISIS to finance terrorism. For years, Bschar al-Assad regime secretly netted three times more money than all of Mexico's cartels with a small white pill that everyone from ISIS terrorists to construction workers chased after. Captagon, known locally as the 'drug of jihad', and 'poor man's cocaine', was originally sold as a cure for attention deficit disorders, narcolepsy and depression when it was first developed by a German pharmaceutical firm in 1961. In 1986, Captagon was banned in almost all countries after it was listed as a Schedule II drug by the UN. Photo by Alessandro Garofalo/Newfotosud/napolipress/Fotogramma/IPA/ABACAPRESS.COM

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

File photo dated July 01, 2020 - The Guardia di Finanza of Naples has seized in the Port of Salerno a large quantity of drugs, 14 tons of amphetamines, 84 million tablets with the "captagon" logo, produced in Syria by ISIS to finance terrorism. For years, Bschar al-Assad regime secretly netted three times more money than all of Mexico's cartels with a small white pill that everyone from ISIS terrorists to construction workers chased after. Captagon, known locally as the 'drug of jihad', and 'poor man's cocaine', was originally sold as a cure for attention deficit disorders, narcolepsy and depression when it was first developed by a German pharmaceutical firm in 1961. In 1986, Captagon was banned in almost all countries after it was listed as a Schedule II drug by the UN. Photo by Alessandro Garofalo/Newfotosud/napolipress/Fotogramma/IPA/ABACAPRESS.COM

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

File photo dated July 01, 2020 - The Guardia di Finanza of Naples has seized in the Port of Salerno a large quantity of drugs, 14 tons of amphetamines, 84 million tablets with the "captagon" logo, produced in Syria by ISIS to finance terrorism. For years, Bschar al-Assad regime secretly netted three times more money than all of Mexico's cartels with a small white pill that everyone from ISIS terrorists to construction workers chased after. Captagon, known locally as the 'drug of jihad', and 'poor man's cocaine', was originally sold as a cure for attention deficit disorders, narcolepsy and depression when it was first developed by a German pharmaceutical firm in 1961. In 1986, Captagon was banned in almost all countries after it was listed as a Schedule II drug by the UN. Photo by Alessandro Garofalo/Newfotosud/napolipress/Fotogramma/IPA/ABACAPRESS.COM

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

File photo dated April 23, 2021 - Saudi customs announce seizing 2.4 million amphetamine narcotic tablets (also known as Captagon), hidden in a pomegranate fruit shipment coming, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. For years, Bschar al-Assad regime secretly netted three times more money than all of Mexico's cartels with a small white pill that everyone from ISIS terrorists to construction workers chased after. Captagon, known locally as the 'drug of jihad', and 'poor man's cocaine', was originally sold as a cure for attention deficit disorders, narcolepsy and depression when it was first developed by a German pharmaceutical firm in 1961. In 1986, Captagon was banned in almost all countries after it was listed as a Schedule II drug by the UN. Photo by Balkis Press/ABACAPRESS.COM

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

File photo dated July 01, 2020 - The Guardia di Finanza of Naples has seized in the Port of Salerno a large quantity of drugs, 14 tons of amphetamines, 84 million tablets with the "captagon" logo, produced in Syria by ISIS to finance terrorism. For years, Bschar al-Assad regime secretly netted three times more money than all of Mexico's cartels with a small white pill that everyone from ISIS terrorists to construction workers chased after. Captagon, known locally as the 'drug of jihad', and 'poor man's cocaine', was originally sold as a cure for attention deficit disorders, narcolepsy and depression when it was first developed by a German pharmaceutical firm in 1961. In 1986, Captagon was banned in almost all countries after it was listed as a Schedule II drug by the UN. Photo by Alessandro Garofalo/Newfotosud/napolipress/Fotogramma/IPA/ABACAPRESS.COM

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

File photo dated April 23, 2021 - Saudi customs announce seizing 2.4 million amphetamine narcotic tablets (also known as Captagon), hidden in a pomegranate fruit shipment coming, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. For years, Bschar al-Assad regime secretly netted three times more money than all of Mexico's cartels with a small white pill that everyone from ISIS terrorists to construction workers chased after. Captagon, known locally as the 'drug of jihad', and 'poor man's cocaine', was originally sold as a cure for attention deficit disorders, narcolepsy and depression when it was first developed by a German pharmaceutical firm in 1961. In 1986, Captagon was banned in almost all countries after it was listed as a Schedule II drug by the UN. Photo by Balkis Press/ABACAPRESS.COM

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

File photo dated July 01, 2020 - The Guardia di Finanza of Naples has seized in the Port of Salerno a large quantity of drugs, 14 tons of amphetamines, 84 million tablets with the "captagon" logo, produced in Syria by ISIS to finance terrorism. For years, Bschar al-Assad regime secretly netted three times more money than all of Mexico's cartels with a small white pill that everyone from ISIS terrorists to construction workers chased after. Captagon, known locally as the 'drug of jihad', and 'poor man's cocaine', was originally sold as a cure for attention deficit disorders, narcolepsy and depression when it was first developed by a German pharmaceutical firm in 1961. In 1986, Captagon was banned in almost all countries after it was listed as a Schedule II drug by the UN. Photo by Alessandro Garofalo/Newfotosud/napolipress/Fotogramma/IPA/ABACAPRESS.COM

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

File photo dated July 01, 2020 - The Guardia di Finanza of Naples has seized in the Port of Salerno a large quantity of drugs, 14 tons of amphetamines, 84 million tablets with the "captagon" logo, produced in Syria by ISIS to finance terrorism. For years, Bschar al-Assad regime secretly netted three times more money than all of Mexico's cartels with a small white pill that everyone from ISIS terrorists to construction workers chased after. Captagon, known locally as the 'drug of jihad', and 'poor man's cocaine', was originally sold as a cure for attention deficit disorders, narcolepsy and depression when it was first developed by a German pharmaceutical firm in 1961. In 1986, Captagon was banned in almost all countries after it was listed as a Schedule II drug by the UN. Photo by Alessandro Garofalo/Newfotosud/napolipress/Fotogramma/IPA/ABACAPRESS.COM

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

File photo dated April 23, 2021 - Saudi customs announce seizing 2.4 million amphetamine narcotic tablets (also known as Captagon), hidden in a pomegranate fruit shipment coming, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. For years, Bschar al-Assad regime secretly netted three times more money than all of Mexico's cartels with a small white pill that everyone from ISIS terrorists to construction workers chased after. Captagon, known locally as the 'drug of jihad', and 'poor man's cocaine', was originally sold as a cure for attention deficit disorders, narcolepsy and depression when it was first developed by a German pharmaceutical firm in 1961. In 1986, Captagon was banned in almost all countries after it was listed as a Schedule II drug by the UN. Photo by Balkis Press/ABACAPRESS.COM

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

File photo dated April 23, 2021 - Saudi customs announce seizing 2.4 million amphetamine narcotic tablets (also known as Captagon), hidden in a pomegranate fruit shipment coming, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. For years, Bschar al-Assad regime secretly netted three times more money than all of Mexico's cartels with a small white pill that everyone from ISIS terrorists to construction workers chased after. Captagon, known locally as the 'drug of jihad', and 'poor man's cocaine', was originally sold as a cure for attention deficit disorders, narcolepsy and depression when it was first developed by a German pharmaceutical firm in 1961. In 1986, Captagon was banned in almost all countries after it was listed as a Schedule II drug by the UN. Photo by Balkis Press/ABACAPRESS.COM

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

File photo dated April 23, 2021 - Saudi customs announce seizing 2.4 million amphetamine narcotic tablets (also known as Captagon), hidden in a pomegranate fruit shipment coming, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. For years, Bschar al-Assad regime secretly netted three times more money than all of Mexico's cartels with a small white pill that everyone from ISIS terrorists to construction workers chased after. Captagon, known locally as the 'drug of jihad', and 'poor man's cocaine', was originally sold as a cure for attention deficit disorders, narcolepsy and depression when it was first developed by a German pharmaceutical firm in 1961. In 1986, Captagon was banned in almost all countries after it was listed as a Schedule II drug by the UN. Photo by Balkis Press/ABACAPRESS.COM

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

File photo dated April 23, 2021 - Saudi customs announce seizing 2.4 million amphetamine narcotic tablets (also known as Captagon), hidden in a pomegranate fruit shipment coming, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. For years, Bschar al-Assad regime secretly netted three times more money than all of Mexico's cartels with a small white pill that everyone from ISIS terrorists to construction workers chased after. Captagon, known locally as the 'drug of jihad', and 'poor man's cocaine', was originally sold as a cure for attention deficit disorders, narcolepsy and depression when it was first developed by a German pharmaceutical firm in 1961. In 1986, Captagon was banned in almost all countries after it was listed as a Schedule II drug by the UN. Photo by Balkis Press/ABACAPRESS.COM

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

File photo dated April 23, 2021 - Saudi customs announce seizing 2.4 million amphetamine narcotic tablets (also known as Captagon), hidden in a pomegranate fruit shipment coming, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. For years, Bschar al-Assad regime secretly netted three times more money than all of Mexico's cartels with a small white pill that everyone from ISIS terrorists to construction workers chased after. Captagon, known locally as the 'drug of jihad', and 'poor man's cocaine', was originally sold as a cure for attention deficit disorders, narcolepsy and depression when it was first developed by a German pharmaceutical firm in 1961. In 1986, Captagon was banned in almost all countries after it was listed as a Schedule II drug by the UN. Photo by Balkis Press/ABACAPRESS.COM

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

Captagon A Synthetic Stimulant That Earned Billions For The Assad Regime

File photo dated April 23, 2021 - Saudi customs announce seizing 2.4 million amphetamine narcotic tablets (also known as Captagon), hidden in a pomegranate fruit shipment coming, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. For years, Bschar al-Assad regime secretly netted three times more money than all of Mexico's cartels with a small white pill that everyone from ISIS terrorists to construction workers chased after. Captagon, known locally as the 'drug of jihad', and 'poor man's cocaine', was originally sold as a cure for attention deficit disorders, narcolepsy and depression when it was first developed by a German pharmaceutical firm in 1961. In 1986, Captagon was banned in almost all countries after it was listed as a Schedule II drug by the UN. Photo by Balkis Press/ABACAPRESS.COM