Kitajima Plant

Taiho Pharmaceutical’s global production base for anticancer drugs

Located in Kitajima Town, Tokushima Prefecture, a region with abundant forests and fresh water, the Kitajima Plant was completed as a global production base for Taiho Pharmaceuticalʼs anticancer drugs in 2013. With the completion of the new CTM Plant in 2016, the plant aims to further expand its production facilities along with Taiho Pharmaceuticalʼs global business development.

Site area: Approx. 272,000 m2 (an area 5.8 times larger than the Tokyo Dome stadium)

  • Solid Dosage Forms Plant
    The facility features a seismic isolation structure for resisting earthquakes to help ensure a stable supply of pharmaceuticals. It also has equipment that enables containment manufacturing of highly active substances.
  • Temporary evacuation site in the event of a disaster
    The park area is also open to the public on weekdays during operating hours. It is designated as a temporary evacuation site in the event of a disaster.
  • A popular place for cherry blossom viewing
    In an area of about 30,000 m2 and a 700-meters promenade, there are 560 cherry trees of 11 different varieties. The grove promenade is open to the public on weekdays during factory operating hours, and is familiar to local residents as a spot to view cherry blossoms.

November 2017 : Completed welfare and office building

The Otsuka Business Support Center, which performs centralized operations for Otsuka Group companies (travel expense settlement, invoice processing, etc.), and Otsuka Pharmaceuticalʼs special subsidiary, Heartful Kawauchi Co., Ltd. were moved into the facility. On the third floor is a company cafeteria, which the Kitajima Plant formerly lacked, to further enhance employee welfare.

June 2016: Completed CTM Plant (clinical trial material manufacturing facility)

The CTM Plant has been in operation since July of the same year, serving as a manufacturing base for clinical trial materials, mainly for anticancer drugs. By establishing the new CTM Plant on the Kitajima Plant premises, complementing the CTM facility on the Tokushima Plant site, Taiho has scaled up for the growing number of compounds under development and is ready to accelerate global development of pharmaceutical products.

May 2014: Received a Good Lighting Award

The plant received a Good Lighting Award from the Illuminating Engineering Institute of Japan. The plant has installed LED lighting equipment for energy conservation. LEDs are also used for onsite illumination of cherry blossoms and Christmas trees, as well as for lighting up a water treatment facility surrounded by artificial waterfalls. These LED applications offer places for relaxation and comfort.