Announcement of Capital and Business Alliance Agreement with OP Bio Factory
September 1, 2025
ROHTO Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Head office: Ikuno-ku, Osaka; President and Representative Director: Hidetoshi Segi) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a capital and business alliance agreement with OP Biofactory Co., Ltd. (Head office: Uruma City, Okinawa Prefecture; Representative Director: Akihiko Kanemoto; hereinafter referred to as "OPBio"), which promotes research and development of marine microalgae.
Background and purpose of the partnership
Driven by a passion for unraveling the unknown and a scientific mindset, our company boldly takes on new challenges to propose new value to meet the needs of our customers and patients. This attitude is deeply rooted in our corporate culture, and by further strengthening this "science-based corporate structure," we are striving to expand not only our business in Self-care field, such as over-the-counter drugs and cosmetics, but also into the medical field, including prescription drugs and Regenerative medicine, in order to contribute to the realization of well-being for people all over the world.
Since its founding in 2006, OPBio has consistently utilized Okinawa's abundant marine resources, from the exploration of untapped biological resources to component analysis, scale-up cultivation, and product development. In particular, we are promoting the social implementation of functional components (such as fucoxanthin and EPA) represented by the microalga "Pavlova."
The two companies have been collaborating in research and development to date, but with this capital and business alliance, they aim to further strengthen their cooperative relationship and accelerate the process from research and development to commercialization, thereby contributing to the resolution of social issues and the realization of sustainable growth.
Building a regional circular economy model in collaboration with Kumejima Algae Farm "FARMO"
This partnership will promote collaboration between the two companies involved in OPbio.
Furthermore, utilizing the Kumejima Algae Farm "FARMO" in Kumejima Town, Okinawa Prefecture, operated by our group company Rohto F Okinawa Co., Ltd. (Uruma City, Okinawa Prefecture, President: Ken Nakahara),
We are promoting a circular economy model that utilizes local resources such as renewable energy and deep-sea water. By combining our product development capabilities with OPBio's cultivation technology, we aim to create locally-based industries, expand employment, and contribute to building a well-being-oriented community.
In particular, by developing new materials and products utilizing microalgae from Kumejima Island and expanding this globally, we will advance the demonstration of a "sustainable utilization model for marine resources" and strengthen our role as a hub for disseminating information both domestically and internationally.
Future developments
- Joint development of novel functional materials derived from microalgae
- Application development in the cosmetics, food, and pharmaceutical fields
- Building a regionally-based circular business model in collaboration with Kumejima's algae farm "FARMO"
- Accelerating business development with a focus on the global market.
About OP Biofactory Co., Ltd.
| location |
5-8 Suzaki, Uruma City, Okinawa Prefecture |
| Establishment |
2006 |
| representative |
Representative Director: Akihiko Kanemoto |
| Business details |
Exploration, cultivation, and analysis of marine biological resources; development of functional ingredients; collaborative research and development; and support for product commercialization. |
| URL |
https://www.opbio.com/ |
Impact on performance
The impact of this matter on our consolidated financial results for fiscal year 2025 is expected to be minor. We will promptly inform you of any further matters that require disclosure in the future.