Kyowa Hakko Kirin


Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd. is a Japanese pharmaceutical and biotechnology company under the Kirin Holdings, and is among the 40 largest in the world by revenue. The company is headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo and is a member of the Nikkei 225 stock index.

History

On July 1, 1949 the forerunner of the present company, Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co., Ltd. is established. Following the merger with Kirin Pharma Co., Ltd., on October 1, 2008 the company changed its name to its present.
On July 11, 2014, the KHK subsidiary, ProStrakan Group, acquired Archimedes Pharma from the Novo Nordisk Foundation for $394 million
In 2019, the entity was renamed "Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd.", replacing its prior name of Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd.

Business segments and products

The company developed a method to make afucosylated monoclonal antibodies using a CHO cell line in which FUT8 has been knocked out; the company calls this its "Potelligent" platform. The company gained marketing approval in Japan in April 2012 for a monoclonal antibody drug called mogamulizumab which was developed using the platform.