Production

Always taking on the challenge of achieving the highest quality under the quality policy of "Better quality, greater health and happiness"

The recent focus on patient-centered medical care and the shift away from hospitalization to treatment at home requires pharmaceutical companies to make efforts to improve patients’ medication adherence so they take prescribed medication in the proper dosage on the correct schedule at home. And the spread of personalized medical care will result in a greater variety of drugs in use. Drugs have always been required to be reliable and effective, but on top of this there is now a greater need than ever before to ensure patients understand them and handle them properly. In order to meet the expectations voiced by patients, Taiho Pharmaceutical has established an ultra-reliable, industry-leading quality assurance system, leveraging the know-how it has amassed thus far in the production of anticancer agents, and also continues to put efforts into improving its technologies. Moreover, the company is always ready to rapidly respond to the needs of clinical settings because opinions from healthcare practitioners are fed back to the CMC Division, the Production Division, and the Sales Division in a timely manner as part of their sharing of information. Going forward, Taiho will continue striving to establish even more reliable systems and further improve its technologies so as to always provide a stable supply of the highest quality medicines for patients.

Manufacturing safe, reliable products under world-class quality assurance systems

Taiho Pharmaceutical has five plants in Japan: the Tokushima plant, Taiho’s main plant in Tokushima; the Kitajima Plant, a second plant in Tokushima established in May 2013; and two more in Saitama and Inuyama. These plants manufacture prescription drugs, consumer healthcare products including OTC drugs, and designated quasi-drugs under the company’s strict quality control standards, while cooperating with one another to streamline production processes. Extremely reliable quality controls are in place, especially for the anticancer agents, which are produced in a dedicated clean facility separated from the production areas for other drugs and outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment.

The supply of vital pharmaceuticals must always be kept stable. For that reason, the company has prepared a BCP*1 and carries out measures to prepare for natural disasters, pandemics, and other contingencies. In May 2016, we acquired ISO 22301 certification, an international standard for business continuity management, to help ensure a stable supply of anticancer drugs. All of Taiho’s plants strictly adhere to GMP*2 standards. The Tokushima and Saitama plants have passed inspections by U.S. and European authorities, while the Kitajima Plant has passed U.S. inspections, thus meeting international standards. As a good corporate citizen, Taiho is also prioritizing environmental protection, and its Tokushima, Kitajima, and Saitama plants have obtained ISO 14001 certification, the international standard for environmental management.

* 1: Business Continuity Plan
* 2: GMP: Good Manufacturing Practice (Standards relating to the manufacture and quality control of pharmaceuticals and quasi-drugs)

Tokushima Plant The Tokushima Plant manufactures pharmaceuticals and quasi-drugs in a variety of formulations, including tablets, capsules, granules, injections, and drinks.
Kitajima Plant The Kitajima Plant manufactures anticancer agents.
Saitama Plant The Saitama Plant manufactures drug substances.
Inuyama Plant The Inuyama Plant manufactures crude drugs.

Global Production Site
Kitajima Plant

The Kitajima Plant was completed in 2013 as Taiho Pharmaceutical’s global production site for anticancer drugs. In 2016, a new investigational drug manufacturing plant was completed, and we aim to further expand our manufacturing facilities in line with the growth of our global business.