Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. is making an initial 15 billion yen investment to optimize and enhance its manufacturing capabilities to support its antibody drug conjugate (ADC) pipeline. 
 
The company will build new and refurbish manufacturing lines at three of its manufacturing plants in Japan. These improvements will expand the production of fully synthesized ADCs and help to ensure a stable supply for future investigational and commercial use.
 
Antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) are a type of targeted cancer medicine that deliver cytotoxic chemotherapy (“payload”) directly to cancer cells via a linker attached to a monoclonal antibody that binds to a specific target expressed on cancer cells. Daiichi Sankyo’s ADC technology is designed to deliver enhanced cancer cell destruction with less systemic exposure to the cytotoxic payload.  
 
Its ADC franchise currently consists of six ADCs, including DS-8201 and U3-1402 in Phase I development, DS-7300, DS-1062 and two other ADCs with undisclosed targets in preclinical development. 
 
“This strategic investment will bolster our leadership and expertise in ADC manufacturing, as we apply our proprietary ADC technology to more than two dozen biologics in preclinical or early stage development,” said Katsumi Fujimoto, Ph.D., senior executive officer, head of Supply Chain Division, Daiichi Sankyo. “Our manufacturing capacities will more than triple by 2021, affording us greater flexibility for research and development, and strengthening our anticipated future commercial production.”