Fujifilm Installs Manufacturing Equipment for Antibody-Drug Conjugate (ADC) Components at Hirono Plant

TOKYO, October 6, 2026 FUJIFILM Corporation announced it will install manufacturing equipment for linker-payloads (“ADC components”) at the Hirono Plant (Hirono-machi, Futaba-gun, Fukushima Prefecture), which is operated by a manufacturing subsidiary of FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation, a Fujifilm Group company. The investment is aimed at expanding Fujifilm’s contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) business in the field of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), a next-generation biopharmaceutical modality. With the new equipment, FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation will provide contract process development and manufacturing services for “linker-payloads,” ADC components consisting of a payload, such as an anticancer drug, and a linker that connects the payload to an antibody. The new manufacturing equipment is scheduled to become operational in 2028.

Through this investment, the Fujifilm Group will establish Japan’s first^*1 one-stop ADC CDMO services ranging from manufacturing of linker-payloads to antibody manufacturing, conjugation^*2, and drug product manufacturing.

ADCs are pharmaceuticals that combine an antibody, which recognizes specific target cells such as cancer cells, with a “payload” such as an anticancer drug, via “linker”. When the antibody bunds to a specific protein on the surface of a target cell, the ADC is taken into cell. The payload is then released from the linker and acts on the cell. By using the antibody to selectively deliver the payload to target cells, ADCs care expected to achieve both high therapeutic efficacy and reduced side effects, and their development as a next-generation biopharmaceutical modality is accelerating worldwide^*3. However, ADC development and manufacturing involve multiple processes, including linker-payload manufacturing, antibody manufacturing, conjugation, and drug product manufacturing, each requiring advanced technologies and stringent quality control systems. As a result, many pharmaceutical companies work with different development and manufacturing partners for each process, creating challenges in technology transfer, quality control, and manufacturing management of the overall supply chain.

The Hirono Plant, where the new manufacturing equipment will be installed, has advanced organic synthesis technologies cultivated through pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing, technologies for containing highly potent substances^*4 within the manufacturing process, and rigorous quality assurance and quality control systems. By installing new manufacturing equipment and enhancing its containment capabilities^*5 for highly potent substances, the Hirono Plant will expand its existing contract manufacturing services for linkers to include linker-payloads. Fujifilm will also establish new laboratory facilities to strengthen the development of advanced manufacturing processes and analytical methods^*6 for linker-payloads with complex structures.
Fujifilm has positioned ADCs as one of the key areas of its CDMO business for next-generation biopharmaceuticals. By leveraging the technologies and manufacturing capabilities of its group companies, Fujifilm will establish Japan’s first one-stop ADC CDMO service, encompassing manufacturing of linker-payloads, antibody manufacturing, conjugation, and drug product manufacturing. The Hirono Plant will be responsible for manufacturing of linker-payloads, while the FUJIFILM Toyama Chemical facility, scheduled to begin operations in 2027, will handle antibody manufacturing, conjugation, and drug product manufacturing through aseptic filling and lyophilization.

Through its one-stop ADC CDMO service spanning from the research and development stage through commercial manufacturing, the Fujifilm Group will help reduce customers’ development and manufacturing burden, improve efficiency, and contribute to smoother ADC development and manufacturing.

• *1 As of October 6, 2026. Based on Fujifilm research using data from the Japan CDMO Association.
• *2 Manufacturing of ADC drug substances by conjugating linker-payloads with antibodies.
• *3 The ADC market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 21% from 2023 to 2032, expanding approximately fivefold from around USD 11 billion in 2023 to around USD 60 billion in 2032 (Fujifilm estimate based on data from Evaluate Pharma).
• *4 Substances that exert potent pharmacological effects even at low doses. Many drugs (payloads) used in ADCs are highly potent and therefore require advanced controls during manufacturing to prevent exposure to workers and the surrounding environment.
• *5 Fujifilm will enhance the plant’s containment capabilities to enable the manufacturing of ADC components containing highly potent substances with an Occupational Exposure Limit (OEL) of less than 0.1 μg/㎥, in addition to highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredients with an OEL of 0.1 μg/㎥ or greater that the plant has handled to date.
• *6 Testing methods used to evaluate and confirm the quality, purity, safety, and other attributes of manufactured pharmaceutical ingredients.

• * Please note that the contents including the product availability, specification, prices and contacts in this website are current as of the date of the press announcement and may be subject to change without prior notice.