Takeda to Invest 100 Billion JPY in a New Manufacturing Facility for Plasma-Derived Therapies in Japan

Takeda to Invest 100 Billion JPY in a New Manufacturing Facility for Plasma-Derived Therapies in Japan


Calendar
March 23, 2023
  • New Facility Will Strengthen Takeda’s Manufacturing and Supply Capabilities to Meet Growing Patient Need for Plasma-Derived Therapies (PDTs) in Japan and Globally 

  • Takeda’s Largest Ever Investment in Manufacturing Capacity Expansion in Japan 

  • Fully Integrated Plant with Highest Global Manufacturing Standards and Environmental Friendliness 

OSAKA, Japan, March 23, 2023 – Takeda (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK) today announced that it will invest approximately 100 billion yen to build a new manufacturing facility for plasma-derived therapies (PDTs) in Osaka, Japan. This represents Takeda’s largest ever investment in manufacturing capacity expansion in Japan.

This investment reflects Takeda’s values-based approach of putting patients first and delivering on its commitments across the company’s patient, people and planet imperatives, underpinned by data and digital. It also aligns with Takeda’s capital allocation policy of “Investing in Growth Drivers”, through disciplined and focused investments in value-creating business opportunities, enabling Takeda to establish a world-class end-to-end manufacturing facility for PDTs at its Juso, Osaka plant. The new state-of-the-art facility will be the largest of its kind in the country and is expected to be operational by around 2030. The new site increases the capacity of Takeda’s current plasma manufacturing site in Narita, Japan almost five-fold and will enable Takeda to serve more patients in Japan sustainably, as well as add incremental capacity to its global manufacturing network.

The facility will be built to the highest global manufacturing standards, including the latest automation and advanced digital technologies. It will be a fully integrated plant, comprising of teardown, fractionation, purification, filling, finishing capabilities as well as a cold storage warehouse. The design will be environmentally friendly to support Takeda's goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions related to operations including scopes 1 and 2 before 2035. Takeda’s existing Narita plasma manufacturing site will continue day-to-day operations until at least the end of the decade, with continued necessary investments for maintenance.

“Takeda has delivered plasma therapies to meet the needs of patients in Japan for more than 70 years. This new investment will strengthen our ability to continuously and reliably bring high-quality PDTs to a growing number of patients in Japan and worldwide. We will engage in discussions with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to ensure we are contributing to sustainable patient care in an area of high unmet need in Japan,” said Milano Furuta, president of the Japan Pharma Business Unit at Takeda.

“We are pleased to make this investment in Japan, demonstrating our commitment to our fast-growing PDT business and to our home country,” said Thomas Wozniewski, global manufacturing & supply officer at Takeda. “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 2 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.”

Takeda has made continuous investments to strengthen its production capabilities in Japan to deliver innovative medicines to patients locally and globally, including Leuplin®, an LH-RH agonist; Alofisel®, a cell therapy line that requires highly advanced manufacturing technology; and the influenza pandemic (H5N1) and COVID-19 vaccines, which are subsidized by the Japanese government. Takeda has also built a modern production line for ENTYVIO® at the Hikari site, which is expected to become operational later this year.

The demand for PDTs has grown significantly over the last 20 years as diagnoses of rare diseases and earlier treatment of complex chronic diseases have improved. Patient need for PDTs in Japan is expected to grow significantly in the coming years and Takeda plans to register up to five global products and new indications over the next five years in Japan, with discussions continuing with the authorities looking at ways to secure reliable supply and enable more patients to have continuity of care.

“We continue to prioritize investment in the long-term strategic growth of our global PDT business and are excited about this opportunity to contribute further to meeting growing patient needs with a broader portfolio of differentiated products, both domestically and worldwide,” added Giles Platford, president of the Plasma-Derived Therapies Business Unit at Takeda

Takeda expects that there will be no financial impact on its consolidated operating results for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023 (FY2022), as a result of this investment.

About Plasma-Derived Therapies

Plasma-derived therapies are used to treat patients suffering from a variety of conditions, including rare and complex chronic immunodeficiency diseases. While they address areas of high unmet medical need and there is growing demand in Japan, timely diagnosis and treatment with immunoglobulin (IG) is currently much lower than in other parts of the world. Efforts are underway with the regulatory authorities to raise the standard of care and bring more of the global PDT portfolio to Japan over the next decade to make more treatments available to more patients.

About Takeda

Takeda is a global, values-based, R\&D-driven biopharmaceutical leader headquartered in Japan, committed to discover and deliver life-transforming treatments, guided by our commitment to patients, our people and the planet. Takeda focuses its R\&D efforts on four therapeutic areas: Oncology, Rare Genetics and Hematology, Neuroscience, and Gastroenterology (GI), with expertise in immune and inflammatory diseases. We also make targeted R\&D investments in Plasma-Derived Therapies and Vaccines. We are focusing on developing highly innovative medicines that contribute to making a difference in people’s lives by advancing the frontier of new treatment options and leveraging our enhanced collaborative R\&D engine and capabilities to create a robust, modality-diverse pipeline. Our employees are committed to improving quality of life for patients and to working with our partners in health care in approximately 80 countries and regions. For more information, visit https://www.takeda.com.

Media Contacts

Japanese Media

Tsuyoshi Tada

[email protected]

U.S. and International Media

Megan Ostrower

[email protected]

+1 772-559-4924

Important Notice

For the purposes of this notice, “press release” means this document, any oral presentation, any question and answer session and any written or oral material discussed or distributed by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (“Takeda”) regarding this press release. This press release (including any oral briefing and any question-and-answer in connection with it) is not intended to, and does not constitute, represent or form part of any offer, invitation or solicitation of any offer to purchase, otherwise acquire, subscribe for, exchange, sell or otherwise dispose of, any securities or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction. No shares or other securities are being offered to the public by means of this press release. No offering of securities shall be made in the United States except pursuant to registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or an exemption therefrom. This press release is being given (together with any further information which may be provided to the recipient) on the condition that it is for use by the recipient for information purposes only (and not for the evaluation of any investment, acquisition, disposal or any other transaction). Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of applicable securities laws.

The companies in which Takeda directly and indirectly owns investments are separate entities. In this press release, “Takeda” is sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Takeda and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” are also used to refer to subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These expressions are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular company or companies.

The product names appearing in this document are trademarks or registered trademarks owned by Takeda, or their respective owners.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release and any materials distributed in connection with this press release may contain forward-looking statements, beliefs or opinions regarding Takeda’s future business, future position and results of operations, including estimates, forecasts, targets and plans for Takeda. Without limitation, forward-looking statements often include words such as “targets”, “plans”, “believes”, “hopes”, “continues”, “expects”, “aims”, “intends”, “ensures”, “will”, “may”, “should”, “would”, “could”, “anticipates”, “estimates”, “projects” or similar expressions or the negative thereof. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions about many important factors, including the following, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements: the economic circumstances surrounding Takeda’s global business, including general economic conditions in Japan and the United States; competitive pressures and developments; changes to applicable laws and regulations, including global health care reforms; challenges inherent in new product development, including uncertainty of clinical success and decisions of regulatory authorities and the timing thereof; uncertainty of commercial success for new and existing products; manufacturing difficulties or delays; fluctuations in interest and currency exchange rates; claims or concerns regarding the safety or efficacy of marketed products or product candidates; the impact of health crises, like the novel coronavirus pandemic, on Takeda and its customers and suppliers, including foreign governments in countries in which Takeda operates, or on other facets of its business; the timing and impact of post-merger integration efforts with acquired companies; the ability to divest assets that are not core to Takeda’s operations and the timing of any such divestment(s); the extent to which our internal energy conservation measures and future advancements in renewable energy or low carbon energy technology will enable us to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions; and other factors identified in Takeda’s most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F and Takeda’s other reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, available on Takeda’s website at: https://www.takeda.com/investors/sec-filings/ or at www.sec.gov. Takeda does not undertake to update any of the forward-looking statements contained in this report or any other forward-looking statements it may make, except as required by law or stock exchange rule. Past performance is not an indicator of future results and the results or statements of Takeda in this report may not be indicative of, and are not an estimate, forecast, guarantee or projection of Takeda’s future results.

Medical information

This press release contains information about products that may not be available in all countries, or may be available under different trademarks, for different indications, in different dosages, or in different strengths. Nothing contained herein should be considered a solicitation, promotion or advertisement for any prescription drugs including the ones under development.