About ICE Japan

ICE Pharma is a multinational company providing products and services to the pharmaceutical and healthcare markets. Founded more than 70 years ago, the Company has a network of manufacturing facilities and subsidiaries in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Oceania. We commercialize our products and services in all the major global markets and serve customers in over 50 countries.
ICE pharma group is a key supplier to the pharmaceutical industry providing a range of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) including Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and other bile acid derivatives-based specialty products, in addition to excipients, cell culture media for diagnostics, GMP intermediates and research chemicals. Our services business provides contract manufacturing for solid and liquid finished dosage forms. We manufacture and commercialize branded products in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and cosmetics markets globally.
Tokyo Tanabe was the original developer of UDCA in Japan in the 1950’s and the Iwaki plant was established after multiple acquisitions within Mitsubishi Tanabe group in the 1980’s. In May 2022 the site was acquired by ICE Pharma. We are proud of its long heritage of high-quality stable supply to Japanese and international customers. We supply both the Japanese and export markets. ICE Japan is dedicated to the production of high-quality ursodeoxycholic acid. It is an integrated manufacturing unit starting from cholic acid raw material. The site is approved for supply to the Japanese, US, European and Asian markets. Ursodeoxycholic acid is an API used for the treatment of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), dissolution of radiolucent gallstones in patients with a functioning gallbladder, and treatment of hepatobiliary disorders associated with cystic fibrosis in pediatric patients.
At ICE Pharma group and ICE Japan, our commitment to sustainability is reflected in a strategy that balances ambition with practical, achievable steps. We have built our efforts and strategy around overarching principles to ensure that our approach encapsulates all of ICE`s impact. These principles guide our efforts to foster patient well-being through developing high quality API and ensuring the safety and sustainability of our offerings. We are also improving the sustainability of our operations by focusing on energy efficiency, water use, and responsible resource management. By committing to engage with our partners in promoting business ethics and compliance, we ensure that we operate a responsible supply chain that reflects our values.
Recognizing that people are at the center of everything we do at ICE Pharma, we are implementing efforts at ICE Japan to ensure we are caring for our people and creating an inclusive and supportive work environment that values employee development, diversity and wellbeing.
Last but not the least, at the core of our community engagement strategy lies the belief that meaningful collaboration with local communities surrounding our operations can lead to lasting, positive impacts for all involved. At ICE Japan, our efforts to build a positive company culture extend beyond our operations. We aim to cultivate a workplace where employees feel deeply connected to the community they serve, recognizing the positive role that ICE Japan plays in local lives. This approach has proved instrumental since May 2022, when we started our operations as ICE Japan, where we launched a variety of initiatives, ranging from sponsoring local sports teams, local sports and cultural events that promote our 3 cultural pillars – Unity, Evolution, Achievement; to opening the doors for our local schools with regular visits by students, teachers and parents in addition to the internship programs that we initiated since 2023, which has proven to be very successful and fruitful both for the students and for ICE Japan.
I am proud of the progress we`ve made and the dedication of our teams. As we move forward, I am confident that our focused approach, built on these principles, will allow us to make meaningful contributions to a more sustainable future for our industry, our society and the planet.