Announced details
Manufacturing of chemicals, including pharmaceutical active ingredients and agrochemical active ingredients. Iguratimod is a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.
Approximately 1.8 g of iguratimod precursor was stably obtained through 24 hours of continuous operation. Overall yield from the starting materials was 75%.
アクティブファーマ is a group company of MITANI SANGYO. In 2023, Nippon Soda and the MITANI SANGYO group entered into a technology partnership aimed at the practical implementation and commercialization of continuous-flow methods for pharmaceutical and agrochemical manufacturing. Nippon Soda and MITANI SANGYO have had a business relationship originating in the supply of coal and the sale of industrial chemicals, and continue to engage in multifaceted business dealings.
Joint research was conducted with Project Professor Osamu Kobayashi (小林修), Project Professor Haruo Ishitani (石谷暖郎) and Project Associate Professor Satoshi Tsubogo (坪郷哲) of the University of Tokyo. MITANI SANGYO is a diversified trading company headquartered in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, operating across 6 segments, including chemicals. Consolidated net sales for the fiscal year ending March 2026 were ¥117,531 million, and consolidated headcount was 3,569. アクティブファーマ, established in June 2009, develops, manufactures and sells pharmaceutical active ingredients. It is headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, and has an office and manufacturing plant in Yatsuo-machi, Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture.
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo (Nippon Soda headquarters and アクティブファーマ headquarters); Yatsuo-machi, Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture (アクティブファーマ office and manufacturing plant); Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture (MITANI SANGYO headquarters)
In this announcement the company addresses none of Contract Value / Offering price / Impact on Business Performance.
ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, an academic journal published by the American Chemical Society (ACS). Published on 4 August 2026.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Names of Products / Services Covered | Anti-rheumatoid arthritis drug iguratimod, Continuous-flow manufacturing process for iguratimod active pharmaceutical ingredient |
| Counterparty | The University of Tokyo, MITANI SANGYO CO.,LTD., アクティブファーマ株式会社 |
| Counterparty overview | Joint research was conducted with Project Professor Osamu Kobayashi (小林修), Project Professor Haruo Ishitani (石谷暖郎) and Project Associate Professor Satoshi Tsubogo (坪郷哲) of the University of Tokyo. MITANI SANGYO is a diversified trading company headquartered in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, operating across 6 segments, including chemicals. Consolidated net sales for the fiscal year ending March 2026 were ¥117,531 million, and consolidated headcount was 3,569. アクティブファーマ, established in June 2009, develops, manufactures and sells pharmaceutical active ingredients. It is headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, and has an office and manufacturing plant in Yatsuo-machi, Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture. |
| Relationship with the Company | アクティブファーマ is a group company of MITANI SANGYO. In 2023, Nippon Soda and the MITANI SANGYO group entered into a technology partnership aimed at the practical implementation and commercialization of continuous-flow methods for pharmaceutical and agrochemical manufacturing. Nippon Soda and MITANI SANGYO have had a business relationship originating in the supply of coal and the sale of industrial chemicals, and continue to engage in multifaceted business dealings. |
| Contract Date | 2023 (technology partnership aimed at the practical implementation and commercialization of continuous-flow methods for pharmaceutical and agrochemical manufacturing) |
| Applicable area | Manufacturing of chemicals, including pharmaceutical active ingredients and agrochemical active ingredients. Iguratimod is a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. |
| Location | Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo (Nippon Soda headquarters and アクティブファーマ headquarters); Yatsuo-machi, Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture (アクティブファーマ office and manufacturing plant); Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture (MITANI SANGYO headquarters) |
| Quantitative Effects | Approximately 1.8 g of iguratimod precursor was stably obtained through 24 hours of continuous operation. Overall yield from the starting materials was 75%. |
| Source | ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, an academic journal published by the American Chemical Society (ACS). Published on 4 August 2026. |
Items this document does not state (9)
These are items the company does not state in this document. We do not leave them blank, nor fill them in from other sources or by inference.
The reasons the company gives
The company's own explanation, not something inferred from the numbers.The conventional process faced environmental and manufacturing-efficiency challenges due to its multiple steps and high use of organic solvents, creating a need for a more environmentally compatible and efficient process for manufacturing pharmaceutical active ingredients.