Kyowa Hakko to open new facility for industrial scale production of HMOs

Image courtesy of Kyowa Hakko

Kyowa Hakko Bio Co Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan) will be manufacturing human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) in a new facility in Thailand. The move anticipates the future increase in global demand for HMOs, and expands Kyowa Hakko’s global footprint, consolidating its position as a global specialty fermentation manufacturer. Established at Kyowa Hakko Bio’s subsidiary Thai Kyowa Biotechnologies Co., Ltd. (Thai Kyowa) in Rayong Province, Thailand, the new facility is scheduled to be operational in the summer of 2022 and will produce approximately 300 metric tons per year.

According to the firm, it was the first company to establish an industrial scale HMO production system, and the application of this system will be the core of the company’s medium-to-long-term growth strategy. These manufacturing processes include the production of the HMOs 2FL, 3SL, and 6SL. Kyowa Hakko holds several registered patents for 3SL and 6SL, but neither has ever been supplied on an industrial scale. Growth in the demand for HMOs is expected in the Chinese and Southeast Asian markets, so the location of the new facility in Thailand will provide Kyowa Hakko with a secure supply capacity and cost competitiveness close to large consumption areas.