Fujifilm Accelerates Biopharma Manufacturing with New Japan CDMO Facility

FUJIFILM Corporation announced the completion of one of Japan’s largest bio CDMOfacilities (the new plant) at the Toyama Second Factory of FUJIFILM Toyama Chemical and held a completion ceremony to mark the occasion. The new plant is the company’s first antibody drug manufacturing plant in Japan and is scheduled to be operational in 2027. Together with an adjacent plant currently under construction, Fujifilm will establish end-to-end manufacturing services covering drug substance manufacturing through finished goods and packaging, serving as the company’s bio CDMO hub in Asia.

The new plant is equipped with 2 x 5,000 liters (L) mammalian cell culture bioreactors, which are among the world’s largest single-use bioreactors, as well as 2 x 2,000 L bioreactors. To ensure high quality and faster technology transfer between sites while reducing construction lead time, the facility adopts the “kojoX™” modular facility design approach, which standardizes equipment and quality management systems with the FUJIFILM Biotechnologies’ site in the UK.

Fujifilm is establishing a globally competitive bio CDMO site in Japan that enables rapid and efficient contract manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals, such as antibody drugs and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). This new site leverages FUJIFILM Toyama Chemical’s aseptic manufacturing expertise, cultivated through injectable antibiotic production, and combines it with the expertise of FUJIFILM Biotechnologies, which operates bio CDMO services in Europe and the U.S.

In Japan, demand for biopharmaceuticals continues to grow, yet many pharmaceutical companies outsource manufacturing to overseas, creating challenges in the speed of process development and technology transfer. To address these issues, Fujifilm is building a manufacturing facility in Japan that meets rigorous global quality standards, aiming to reduce the burden of technology transfer caused by language and geographical barriers, accelerate market launch, and contribute to a stable supply of biopharmaceuticals.

The new plant, together with an adjacent plant under construction for mRNA therapeutics and vaccines, has been selected by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry for the project of “Developing Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Sites to Strengthen Vaccine Production.” This dual-use designation will allow the facility to manufacture biopharmaceuticals during normal times and switch to vaccine production in the event of a pandemic.