Increasing the Efficient Supply of Specialty Pharmaceuticals to the Asian Market

New Bushu Pharma President Tadao Takano has a proven track-record taking biopharma companies to the Japanese market and will drive the company’s strategy to enhance key services, partnerships and policies.

The advent of biopharmaceuticals and specialty drugs has created a range of complex challenges for pharmaceutical supply chains, such as strict temperature control and therapeutic impact. While there are specialized companies that can handle these issues, the manufacturing of specialty drugs is oftentimes outsourced, making the relationship between pharmaceutical company and contract manufacturer increasingly important in terms of addressing these challenges. Considering current market dynamics and the requirements of pharmaceutical companies, Bushu Pharma has continued to make changes in its supply chain management strategy – taking into account the challenges unique to specialty pharmaceuticals.

Three key challenges the company is focusing on in order to ensure a successful distribution strategy for specialty pharmaceuticals are 1) control and reduction of costs, 2) sustainable growth taking into account ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) factors, and 3) strict temperature control, which is essential for more than half of all specialty pharmaceuticals, including biopharmaceuticals.

Bushu Pharma believes the ability to effectively manage these factors, including accurate inventory management and efficient end-to-end logistics, will largely determine the therapeutic outcome of specialty drugs. In order to offer the best outcomes to our customers and more importantly to the many individuals who use specialty pharmaceuticals to treat otherwise debilitating illnesses, the company is strategically building up its facilities, resources, and processes – all part of a supply chain management strategy we call Gateway to Asia.

Japan and Asian Market Entry Service for Global Specialty Pharmaceutical Manufacturers

Most global pharmaceutical companies entering the Japanese market are taking on the challenge of establishing a successful business in a short period of time by using contract partners for manufacturing, logistics, distribution, and related requirements – avoiding having to take on their own owned-assets and resources.

Through our Gateway to Asia SCM solution, Bushu Pharma aims to streamline these processes to offer a value-added hub for the import of bulk products for quality inspection, labeling, packaging, and distribution to Japan and other Asian countries. Our combination of expert resources, proven quality-control, and established delivery processes positions the company to handle the difficult tasks of lead-time, temperature, security, inventory, packaging and rush order fulfillment management for multiple markets. To offer the best possible solutions for our customers, the company does not rely solely on its existing resources and knowledge base and instead is strategically expanding our facilities and resources. Recent developments include:

• Establishment of Misato Cold Chain Center - refrigerated storage facility for sterile drug products and biologics, with visual inspection and secondary packaging – key requirements for the Japan market.
• Business alliance with Suzuken - by combining Suzuken's transportation and distribution network in Japan for specialty pharmaceuticals with Bushu Pharma's proven contract manufacturing capabilities, the partnership creates a platform for one-stop comprehensive support.
• Opening of Kazo Packaging Center – established in Suzuken's Kazo Pharmaceutical Joint Distribution Center, offering 1,464㎡of cold storage area – through which Bushu Pharma offers expanded contract manufacturing with secondary packaging capacity, including inspection, labeling, and packaging of specialty pharmaceuticals and others.

Deepen partnerships, provide value

Bushu Pharma partners with global pharmaceutical manufacturers to help them succeed in their business in Japan and Asia. We will continue to deepen our partnerships domestically and internationally, in order to evolve our management capabilities to ensure proper bulk product importation and receipt, high quality manufacturing, inspection, temperature control to destination.