Takeda Restructures Manufacturing, Shifts Leuplin Production To Osaka Site

Takeda Restructures Manufacturing, Shifts Leuplin Production To Osaka Site

Takeda is restructuring its manufacturing efforts, moving the production of Leuplin to its Osaka Plant in the Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The company announced the move in a press release, stating that it aims to optimize its global manufacturing network. Leuplin (leuprorelin acetate) is a treatment for prostate cancer and premenopausal breast cancer, currently produced at Osaka and the Hikari Plant. Tetsuo Miwa, Ph.D., SVP, Pharmaceutical Production Division, said, “Through our effort towards optimizing our global manufacturing network, our company will further enhance our productivity and streamline our global operations, as well as further reinforce our manufacturing and supply system.”

Takeda’s Manufacturing

Takeda stated that Osaka will become a “specialty manufacturing site” and focus on producing Leuplin, a sustained-release microcapsule injectable formulation. The Hikari plant in the Yamaguchi Prefecture will manufacture solid products. The Oranienburg facility in Brandenburg, Germany will also produce solid products. Takeda said that it expects the process of transferring production capabilities will be complete in 2018, and it does not expect its 2014 financial status to be affected. The company intends to invest 9 billion yen into Hikari ($75 million) and a small amount into Oranienburg. The company provided additional details on the facilities.

• The Osaka Plant was founded in 1915 and manufactures Takepron, Adecut, Basen, Leuplin, Blopress, and several other agents.
• The Hikari Plant, founded in 1946, manufactures active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs); biological products, such as measles-rubella combined vaccines; and drugs such as Leuplin, Firstcin, Lansap, and Lampion Pack.
• The Oranienburg Plant began in 1885 and supplies 145 solid products, including Pantoprazole and Cardiomagnyl.

Takeda Activities

Takeda has been very active in partnering with other pharma companies in the last several months. The company struck a deal with GE Healthcare in November 2011 to license GE’s MR elastography, a minimally invasive diagnostic technology, to test the liver in pursuit of liver disease treatments. Also in November, Takeda expanded its partnership with Presage Biosciences to identify oncology drug combinations. In October, Takeda licensed a Mersana Therapeutics antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidate. The same month, Sucampo Pharmaceuticals extended its development and marketing agreement with Takeda for Amitiza (lubiprostone), a locally acting chloride channel activator. The agent is Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) in adults.