Eisai’s 10 billion Japanese yen ($69 million) bet on injectable drug delivery is complete. The Japanese drug developer plowed the money into the construction of an injectable formulation research building, positioning it to continue its expansion beyond oral drug delivery.
Oral drug formulations, from Aricept in the 1980s to current blockbusters such as Lenvima anti-cancer capsules, built Eisai, but injectables make up a growing portion of its pipeline. Having expanded its drug discovery activities to cover modalities such as antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates and nucleic acid drugs, the company decided to invest in a new facility to support injectable drug delivery.
Construction of the 10 billion Japanese yen Eisai Medicine Innovation Technology Solutions (EMITS) building is now complete. At the site, which will serve as Eisai’s global base for formulation and modality research, the company will work on drug delivery systems including liposomal and lipid nanoparticle formulations.
Eisai highlighted several initiatives it will implement at the EMITS facility. The list includes the installation of equipment to manufacture investigational injectable drugs in-house and a space for collaborative work with external partners.
News of the completion of the facility comes shortly after one of Eisai’s top injectable prospects, the Biogen-partnered Alzheimer’s disease drug candidate lecanemab, hit the primary endpoint in a phase 3 trial. The monoclonal antibody candidate is the result of a strategic research alliance between Eisai and BioArctic. Biogen is responsible for manufacturing the lecanemab drug substance.