Announcement of Joint Venture Establishment and Shareholders Agreement Execution
2025/08/25Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Shigeyuki Kawamura; hereinafter “Nippon Kayaku”), Formiica Pharmaceuticals Pte. Ltd. (Head Office: Singapore; CEO: Renaat Janssen; hereinafter “Formiica”), and CBC Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President: Masataro Doi; hereinafter “CBC”) have agreed to jointly establish a joint venture for the purpose of in-licensing pharmaceutical products into Asia including Japan and/or Oceania, and hereby announce that the three companies have executed a Shareholders Agreement for the joint venture as of August 8, 2025.
Purpose of Establishing the Joint Venture
This joint venture will be established through joint investment by Nippon Kayaku, Formiica, and CBC, with its base in Singapore. Its main purpose is to in-licensing pharmaceutical products developed and owned by other companies, and to sublicense such products to countries in Asia and/or Oceania, including Japan. Nippon Kayaku will have preferential negotiation rights regarding the Japanese territory, enabling Nippon Kayaku to be responsible for development and sales in Japan. This is expected to strengthen Nippon Kayaku’s domestic pharmaceutical business and secure stable earnings.
Future Outlook
We will promptly proceed with the establishment of the joint venture and accelerate the consideration and negotiation of promising in-licensing candidates. By utilizing this joint venture, Nippon Kayaku will promote in-licensing strategies that contributes to the company’s growth and enhancement of corporate value.
About Formiica Pharmaceuticals Pte. Ltd.
Formiica Pharmaceuticals Pte Ltd (“Formiica”) is a Singapore-based holding company incubated by the SEA Healthcare Fund VCC with Wuxi AppTec and UOBVM as sector advisor and investment advisor respectively. Formiica’s vision is to bring innovative and cost-effective medicines to meet the unmet clinical and diverse socioeconomic needs of the key markets in Japan, Australia, Korea and Southeast Asia (“SEA”) through a network of partners across clinical/product development, contract manufacturing and commercialisation.
Formiica intends to achieve its vision by in-licensing patented medicines that are in late clinical development stage or medicines with marketing authorisations in key pharmaceutical markets such as USA and Europe.
About CBC Co., Ltd.
Founded in 1925, CBC Co., Ltd is a privately-owned, unlisted company headquartered in Tokyo, with a legacy spanning over 100 years. As a leading global trading company, our diverse portfolio includes pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and electronics. Committed to expanding our pharmaceutical presence, we pursue partnerships to deliver advanced healthcare solutions globally. CBC operates 44 locations worldwide and its consolidated subsidiaries employ over 2,000 people and generate consolidated annual revenues of around US$1.6 billion. This global scale enables us to provide robust operational support and long-term value in this strategic collaboration.
[Contact]
Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd.
Corporate Communications Department
Tel: 03-6731-5237
