Takeda shuffles pharma production
Hikari City, in anticipation of the closure of its Shonan facility
in at the end of March 2006.
Japan's Takeda Chemical Industries is to invest approximately Y15.0 billion (€117m) in its plant at Hikari City, in anticipation of the closure of its Shonan facility in at the end of March 2006.
The company said that the 'reinforcement' of production facilities at Hikari will include a refit of the unit to cover the whole pharmaceutical production process, from bulk raw materials to finished dosage forms. Once complete it will serve as the main production centre of Takeda group.
The production of Takeda's consumer healthcare products, currently conducted at Shonan, will be transferred to Takeda Healthcare Products in Fukuchiyama.
Irish plants secure
In 1997, Takeda established a manufacturing company in Ireland to make finished versions of several of the company's key products, including the antihypertensive candesartan cilexetil, gastrointestinal drug lansoprazole and pioglitazone for diabetes, using bilk active ingredients manufactured at Hikari. This will continue to serve Takeda's overseas markets, said the Japanese firm.
In addition, another manufacturing plant is under construction in Ireland that will again operate as an independent company - Takeda Pharma Ireland - that is scheduled to start operation in October 2004 for manufacturing of active ingredients of pioglitazone and other compounds in Takeda's clinical development pipeline.
At present, production at Takeda is split evenly between its own in-house facilities and the independent toll manufacturers, but the latter are expected to account for a greater proportion - around 70 per cent - in fiscal 2005 as a result of these new measures.
The rationale is that, as Takeda expands in overseas markets with the roll-out of new products, it can reduce the cost burdens associated with domestic production and transport.
