Eisai Opens New Manufacturing Facility In The U.K., Expands Presence In China
By Cyndi Root
Eisai has completed the construction of its U.K. manufacturing facility and held opening ceremonies on November 26, 2014. The company announced the opening in a press release, stating that the new packaging facility is in Hatfield, Hertfordshire. Eisai Manufacturing, a subsidiary of Eisai, operates the facility. Eisai states that it intends to launch multiple new products, such as the antiepileptic agent Fycompa.
The new high tech facility in Hatfield will help supply anticancer agents lenvatinib and Halaven and serve as a global supply center for new products. Due to the demand for presentations in different languages, the facility will serve as a production and packaging base for European countries. The new facility is adjacent to Eisai’s current facility and increases the space by 40 percent.
Eisai in China
Eisai, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, established a holding company in China in November. The new company, Eisai China Holdings is based in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China. Eisai intends to use the company to integrate its Chinese subsidiaries Eisai China and Eisai (Suzhou) Trading Co. The restructuring allows Eisai to improve efficiencies and provide a system to respond to demands for capital. Eisai states that the move takes advantage of the Chinese market, which is currently second to the U.S. in sales and is expected to reach double-digit growth soon.
Also in November, Eisai announced that it completed construction of a new production facility in Suzhou, Jiangsu, China. At the same site, the company has been manufacturing solid preparation products for the Chinese market. The new facility will manufacture the Methycobal injection, a peripheral neuropathy treatment, because Eisai expects a strong demand in the future. The company also intends to make the facility serve as a global supply center for Asia and Latin America, just as the Hatfield plant will serve as a supply center to Europe.