中国科学院上海药物研究所前身是国立北平研究院药物研究所，创建于1932年，次年迁至上海，2003年搬迁至浦东张江高科技园区，是我国历史最悠久的综合性创新药物研究机构。截至2022年7月21日，现有职工1200余人，其中两院院士5人、发展中国家科学院院士2人、杰青等国家级高层次人才130余人。在学博、硕士研究生及联合培养研究生1800余人，在站博士后149人。
上海药物所瞄准国际生命科学发展的前沿领域以及药物研究的重要科学问题，开展创新药物基础和应用基础研究，发展药物研究新理论、新方法和新技术。重点围绕治疗恶性肿瘤、心脑血管系统疾病、神经精神系统疾病、代谢性疾病、自身免疫性疾病及感染性疾病等开展新药研发，并加强现代中药的研发。现设有五个国家级研究中心：新药研究国家重点实验室、国家新药筛选中心、中药标准化技术国家工程实验室、国家化合物样品库、国家中药质量第三方检测（南方）中心，并建成了功能齐全、技术先进、综合集成、无缝衔接、运行高效、国际规范的综合性创新药物研发体系。
自建所以来，共研制开发新药100余种并投入生产，创制了一批在国内外具有一定影响的创新药物，如抗恶性疟疾首选药物蒿甲醚、重金属解毒药二巯丁二酸、抗肿瘤新药丁氧哌烷、抗阿尔茨海默症新药石杉碱甲、现代中药丹参多酚酸盐和抗菌新药盐酸安妥沙星等。2019年底，中国原创、国际首个靶向脑-肠轴的阿尔茨海默病（AD）治疗新药九期一（甘露特钠，代号：GV-971）获批上市，填补了这一领域17年无新药上市的空白。此外，一批抗恶性肿瘤、心脑血管疾病、自身免疫性疾病和抗感染性疾病的新药已进入临床研究。全所共获各类科研成果奖300余项，包括国家三大奖项27项，全国科学大会奖等国家级奖21项，省部级奖101项。
近年来，上海药物所牢牢把握改革发展机遇，整合院内外资源率先筹建“中国科学院药物创新研究院”，并积极融入上海科创中心建设，牵头揭牌成立 “张江药物实验室”。旨在以“出原创新药”和“出引领技术”为目标，聚焦基于疾病机制研究的新药发现以及药物研发新方法、新技术，有效解决我国生物药研发和产业发展“卡脖子”的问题，建设具有全球影响力的原创新药研发高地和国际一流的药物科学研究中心。
经过几代药物所人的努力，上海药物所已发展成为学科齐全、成就卓著、人才荟萃、在国内外享有较高声誉的综合性药物研究机构，成为中国最重要的创新药物研究基地之一，在实现中国药物研究和医药产业由仿制为主到创制为主的历史性转变中发挥着重要作用。

Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica (SIM), formerly known as Institute of Materia Medica, National Peiping Research Institute, was founded in 1932 and moved to Shanghai in the following year. In 2003, IT was relocated to Zhangjiang Hi-tech Park in Pudong. As of July 21, 2022, it has more than 1200 employees, including 5 academicians of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2 academicians of Academy of Developing Countries, and more than 130 national-level high-level talents such as Jieqing. There are more than 1800 postgraduate students and 149 post-doctoral students.
Aiming at the frontiers of international life science development and important scientific issues in drug research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica carries out basic and applied research on innovative drugs, and develops new theories, methods and technologies in drug research. Focus on the research and development of new drugs for the treatment of malignant tumors, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, neuropsychiatric diseases, metabolic diseases, autoimmune diseases and infectious diseases, and strengthen the research and development of modern Chinese medicine. There are five national research centers: State key laboratory of new drug research, national center for drug screening, standardization of Chinese medicine technology national engineering laboratory, national compound sample library, national center for traditional Chinese medicine quality third party testing (south), and built a complete functions, advanced technology, comprehensive integrated, seamless, efficient operation, the international standard comprehensive innovative drug research and development system.
Since the self-built, a total of more than 100 and put into production, research and development of new drugs, had created a batch in innovative drug has certain influence at home and abroad, such as the preferred drugs against falciparum malaria artemether, heavy metal antidote two sh succinic acid, antitumor drug oxygen pp alkanes, fight alzheimer's new healing stone Chinese fir alkali armour, modern Chinese medicine salvia miltiorrhiza polyphenol acid salt and anchoring of antibacterial drug hydrochloric acid sand magnitude. At the end of 2019, China's original and the world's first new drug targeting brain-gut axis for Alzheimer's disease (AD) was approved for marketing (Mannitol sodium, code name: GV-971), filling a 17-year gap in this field. In addition, a number of new drugs against malignant tumors, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, autoimmune diseases and anti-infectious diseases have entered clinical research. The institute has won more than 300 awards for scientific research achievements, including 27 national three major awards, 21 national awards such as National Science Congress Awards, and 101 provincial and ministerial awards.
In recent years, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica firmly grasped the opportunity of reform and development, integrated internal and external resources of the institute to take the lead in preparing for the establishment of "Institute of Pharmaceutical Innovation of Chinese Academy of Sciences", and actively integrated into the construction of Shanghai Science and Innovation Center, and led the opening of "Zhangjiang Pharmaceutical Laboratory". Aimed at "the original new drugs" and "the leading technology" as the goal, focusing on the basis of disease mechanism research new drug discovery and drug research and development of new methods, new technology, effectively solve the biological medicine research and development and the industry development of our country "their" problem, the construction of global influence original highlands of new drug research and development and the international first-class medical science research center.
With the efforts of several generations of people a drug, Shanghai has developed into a drug is complete, distinguished achievements, talents, enjoy high reputation both at home and abroad a comprehensive drug research institute, become one of the most important innovation of the drug research base in China, in the implementation of Chinese medicine research and medicine industry by generic primarily to give priority to the historic transformation plays an important role.