Bushu Pharma – Setting a Benchmark in the Global Pharmaceutical Industry

10 Best Companies of the Year 2023

In the world of Pharma, there was a great demand for technical capabilities for manufacturing and supply chain management of small varieties at a mass production level for mainly small molecule blockbusters in the 2000s.

However, in recent years, the need for capacities in larger varieties at small volumes has increased due to patients who suffer from rare diseases with a focus on the importance of new orphan drugs.

One such company leveraging these types of supply chain advancements and staying ahead of the curve is Bushu Pharma. The organization is spearheaded by Tadao Takano, CEO and President of Bushu Pharma. In an exclusive interview with us, he shared the dynamics of his company with the ever-changing market scenario of the pharmaceutical space.  

Below are the highlights of the interview:

1. What does Bushu Pharma do to sustain the industry with this fast-growing phase?

Bushu Pharma is continuously expanding its operation to support the growing needs of our global clients. We have accomplished this by adding facilities, We have 4 sites in Japan as of March 2023, as well as adding new sites, suites and lines that can be customized when needed. This is especially important as we support virtual clients with commercials in different modalities and needs. A good example is a client with an orphan drug, which is usually small compared to a commercial client with a very large volume.

2. What methodologies and values does Bushu Pharma follow?

The methodologies and values that embody Bushu is that we continuously focus on our customers and stakeholders.  It is embedded in our culture to deliver the best value, and quality and provide sustainability for the long-term.  That is the brand promise through which we operate. 

3. How did Bushu Pharma come into existence? And what inspires you to strive for more endeavors?

Bushu Pharma actually came to be after being established in the market as a pharmaceutical company, which gave us our strong foundation in manufacturing under GMP control.  Since then, we are always inspired by the innovativeness of our clients, which continues to drive us.

4. What are the services Bushu Pharma provides? And what are the regions you cater to globally?

Bushu Pharma provides contract manufacturing for solid oral dosage forms as well as parenteral, along with supply chain management called Gateway to Asia, in which we do the quality inspection, labeling, packaging and distribution both within Japan and the Asian region.  We cater to those who want to enter the Asian market from anywhere else in the world.

5. What is CDMO and how Bushu is supporting other operations alongside? 

CDMOs typically focus on only manufacturing, i.e. formulation and packaging while Bushu offers supply chain management services in addition to the above typical manufacturing activities. Distribution throughout the Japanese market and exportation to Asian countries are favorable for Western Pharma companies, especially those that have limited resources in the APAC region.

6. What are the policies Bushu follows in the welfare of the employee and other hierarchy members?

Employees are our greatest asset, including everyone in the organization from the top down.  Employees are stakeholders in our organization and we support diversity, inclusion and respect on every level. 

7. How did Bushu cope with the unprecedented time like COVID-19 to be in the marketplace, with continuously providing seamless services? 

We have policies in place for the safety and well-being of our employees and followed the guidance from the Ministry of Health.  Over the last 1.5 years till summer 2022, we have declined basically all visitors to our sites to prevent an epidemic in our employees and to avoid any downtime or pitfall in our manufacturing and supply of pharmaceutical drugs required for patients. These policies have enabled us to keep our production operation as planned even under COVID-19 situation. 

In addition, we have been awarded multiple COVID-19 related products like vaccines and remedies from several pharmaceutical companies during the period and we have accomplished the supply of the required volume of the drugs on time as requested by clients. Furthermore, we are proud that we could demonstrate our social contribution resulting in saving some important human lives and/or preventing serious symptoms through being involved in manufacturing and supply in collaboration with pharmaceutical companies as well as the government.

8. Does Bushu Pharma own any products? If there are any please elucidate on the same. 

Bushu Pharma does not own any of its own products, as we are fully dedicated to our mission to support the global healthcare industry to create a better tomorrow as a CMO.  Yes, that takes up all of our time.

9. Tell us about some of the accreditation, certifications and achievements earned by Bushu Pharma?

Bushu Pharma is GMP globally certified in 56 countries, we are also recognized by Frost & Sullivan as a market leader through our award for customer value leadership and we were selected as one of TOP 10 Asia CDMO 2022 by PharmaTech Outlook, both awards embody everything we strive for.

10. Emphasis on the profile of the leading person. Share his ideology. Perspective and future plans considering Bushu Pharma and Pharma sector.

The ideology of our CEO/President, Tadao Takano truly can be relayed in one sentence: grow Bushu Pharma into a one-of-a-kind company as the leading CDMO in Asia. This is accomplished by trusting our people, and continuously looking at ways to accommodate the changing needs of both the industry and our clients. We make investments to accommodate those changes and remain flexible while delivering value, quality and commitment.

11. Any piece of advice for budding entrepreneurs preparing to enter the pharma world.

The best advice is to keep an open mind, surround yourself with the best people and listen.  The road is never smooth or easy, but remember the beginning as you shall look back and realize those were the best of times.

Quote: “We maintain the foundation that has given us success while welcoming the changing needs of our clients and the industry.”