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Toray and ASKA Conclude Business Collaboration
Agreement for Adhesion Barrier

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Oct. 19, 2021

Toray Industries, Inc.
ASKA Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.


Tokyo, Japan, October 5, 2021 – Toray Industries, Inc. (head office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President Akihiro Nikkaku; hereinafter referred to as “Toray”) and ASKA Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President Sohta Yamaguchi; hereinafter referred to as “ASKA”) announced today that the two companies have signed a business collaboration agreement to develop and commercialize an adhesion barrier * (Toray Development Code: TRM-270C; hereinafter referred to as  “Product”) in Japan. Toray has been developing the Product in collaboration with Nanotheta Co., Ltd. (head office: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President Shinya Otsubo).

Under the agreement, Toray and ASKA will jointly develop the Product to obtain a marketing approval of the Product in Japan. Upon the approval, Toray will manufacture the Product, as ASKA will exclusively market the Product in Japan. 

The Product is used during medical procedures such as laparotomies and laparoscopies in obstetrics and gynecology as well as in gastroenterology procedures. It has a laminated structure that comprises anti-adhesive layers as well as supportive layers which are made of biodegradable polymers and water-soluble polymers respectively. By utilizing a laminated structure with different properties provides the necessary flexibility and adhesiveness to target organs. The expected benefits of such properties are good operability particularly during laparoscopic surgeries with an excellent anti-adhesive effect.

In Toray’s medium-term management program “Project AP-G 2022”, business expansion in Life Innovation field is one of its basic policies. As part of such policy, Toray is focusing on developing and commercializing medical devices that apply its core technologies based on polymer chemistry and nanotechnology. ASKA, since its establishment in 1920, has endeavored to solve unmet medical needs by developing pharmaceuticals, primarily new drugs and medical-related products as a specialty pharmaceutical company that focuses on internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and urology. Thus, the above agreement was concluded based on the alignment of the two companies’ business policy.

By the commercialization of the above Product, Toray and ASKA hope to improve the prognoses of patients who undergo surgery in obstetrics and gynecology as well as gastroenterology interventions.

*Adhesion barrier
When tissues are sutured together in surgery, it is normal for the sutured tissues to adhere and heal spontaneously. However, during the healing process after surgery, postoperative adhesion can occur, whereby tissues that should be separated, can adhere to one another. These postoperative adhesions can cause complications such as, small bowel obstruction, secondary infertility, and chronic pelvic pain. Adhesion barriers are applied to areas effected by surgeries to prevent such adhesions.