Takeda will invest ¥100bn (€766m) to create the manufacturing facility, which the company stated would include automation and advanced digital technologies.
The facility will become the largest of its kind in the country and represents Takeda’s largest investment in manufacturing capacity expansion in Japan. The facility is expected to be operational by ‘around’ 2030, and will be located at its Juso, Osaka plant.
Compared to its existing current plasma manufacturing facility in Narita, Japan, the new site holds the capacity to increase output five times over. The facility has been constructed to meet demand in Japan for plasma-derived therapies (PDTs), but also to add some capacity to its global manufacturing network.
According to the company, the investment will create a fully integrated plant, consisting of teardown, fractionation, purification, filling, finishing capabilities, as well as a cold storage warehouse. Takeda added that the design will be environmentally friendly to help it achieve its aim of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions related to operations before 2035.
Takeda stated that it plans for its existing Narita plasma manufacturing site to continue day-to-day operations until at least the end of the decade, including making continued investment for maintenance.
Thomas Wozniewski, global manufacturing and supply officer at Takeda, said, “Japan will play an even more critical role in our global manufacturing network, contributing to supply chain resilience globally. The new facility will provide a plasma fractionation capacity of more than two million liters per year. The company will unleash the power of automation and digitalization to deliver high quality products to patients reliant on PDTs, including those with diseases for which there are no alternative treatments.”
Rare diseases
Explaining the decision to make the investment, Takeda stated that demand for PDTs has grown significantly over the last 20 years, due to the increased diagnoses of rare diseases and earlier treatment of complex chronic diseases.
Further, Takeda noted that timely diagnoses and treatment with immunoglobulin is currently lower in Japan compared to other parts of the world. The company added that it is collaborating with regulatory authorities to raise the standard of care, and to make more of its PDT portfolio available in Japan over the next decade.
The company plans to register up to five global products in the area over the next five years in Japan. At present, Takeda has a portfolio of more than 20 PDT products.
