Research and Development

Functions of the Innovation Center

Sunsho Pharmaceutical's Innovation Center has a UniORV® manufacturing area on the 1st floor and an office and laboratory area on the 2nd floor.
The 2nd floor office and laboratory area can be configured to accommodate different work styles.
This flexible space includes an area for solitary thinking, a meeting area for easy communication,
and a prototype lab area. Different functional spaces are provided on a single floor to serve different purposes while fostering creativity.
The UniORV® production area on the first floor complies with pharmaceutical Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).
Here we produce highly pharmacologically active substances, a substance that has a strong effect on the human body in small amounts,
in a facility designed for containment.

Obtaining numerous patents
Research and Development continuously generates unique value.

In order to respond to ever-increasing user needs and provide value that is one step ahead of customer requests,
Sunsho Pharmaceutical’s highly specialized R&D members are tirelessly advancing research and development.
We are tackling new challenges that have yet to be seen.

  • UniORV(R) Innovation Center General Manager of Product Development Kenichi Koyama Innovation Center
    Senior Manager of Product Development Dept.
    Kenichi Koyama
  • Sunsho Pharmaceutical's greatest strength lies in our ability to propose optimal dosage forms that meet the needs of our customers in combination with various formulation technologies. We believe it is important for our customers to feel emotional value through product and formulation development.
  • UniORV(R) Innovation Center General Manager of Project Promotion Wataru Hirasawa Innovation Center
    Senior Manager of Advanced Process Technology Dept.
    Wataru Hirasawa
  • UniORV® showcases how we were able to create formulations that combine difficult-to-combine ingredients into a single formulation. To realize the value desired by the market, we propose formulation concepts by freely recombining existing elemental technologies and new ideas with short delivery times.
  • Manager of Raw Material Development, R&D Masahiro Kurono Innovation Center
    Manager of Raw Material Development Division, Product Development Dept.
    Masahiro Kurono
  • Research and Development is the department that drives the company's sustainable business growth. We are constantly innovating and developing entirely new products. With a focus on research for UniORV®, our proprietary dosage form, we are also developing applications that leverage our formulation technology strengths.
  • Primary Prototyping (ADC), Health Foods Development, Product Development Keisuke Takiguchi Innovation Center
    Manager of Powder Formulation Development Division, Product Development Dept.
    and Application Development Center(ADC)
    Keisuke Takiguchi
  • We seek to create high-value, high-quality medicine formulations that exceed our clients' expectations by leveraging the diverse skills we have developed to date. We passionately develop technology on a daily basis to build new items that do not yet exist in the world to contribute to people's health.

Discovering and maximizing the potential of new materials.

Through materials development we uncover and maximize the potential of new raw materials.
Sunsho Pharmaceutical is also engaged in the development of unique raw materials.
We identify the potential of various materials and bring it to life using our manufacturing technology.
We add new functionalities and value to our clients' products.
Please contact us if you need us to develop raw materials to fit your specifications.

Sunsho Pharmaceutical’s original ingredients

  • Next-generation Omega-3 krill oil

    Next-generation Omega-3 krill oil
    A new ingredient derived from krill that prevents dementia and motor deterioration.
    Krill oil is obtained from Antarctic krill, which live in the cleanest water on the planet, the Antarctic Ocean. Krill oil contains DHA, EPA and choline, which are essential for brain and liver metabolism.
    It has an excellent absorption rate in the body, and a stronger blood lipid improvement impact has been verified with only one-third the amount of Krill Oil used in comparison to fish oil.
    Furthermore, it has been shown to relieve arthritis, activate brain function, treat female specific conditions (PMS, dysmenorrhea), improve dry eyes and is gaining popularity as a health-promoting element.
  • Next-generation Omega-3 krill oil
  • SUN Ginger

    SUN Ginger
    Ginger extract with an extremely high shogaol level
    Our unique production technique, which employs subcritical water treatment technology, has maximized the extraction of ginger's unique components. This unique ginger extraction process produces around 70 times the amount of shogaol found in raw ginger.
    When compared to other ginger raw materials, this product has a powerful core-warming effect. It warms the body, promotes blood flow, aids in the prevention of obesity and metabolic syndrome, has high antioxidant capabilities and improves bowel motions by improving digestive tract movement. All of these effects can contribute to becoming a healthier individual.
  • SUN Ginger

Developing a series of advanced technologies
Patents held by Sunsho Pharmaceutical

Sunsho Pharmaceutical has obtained multiple patents both domestically and internationally for its innovative technologies and ingredients,
covering various aspects such as capsule design, encapsulation materials for, and manufacturing processes.
These patents reflect the advancement of cutting-edge technologies that will affect the future of their respective markets
in Japan and around the world.

Acquired patents (excerpt)

■Patents related to soft capsules

Protection targetPatent numberTitle of invention
Film-relatedConcerning the plant-based film “BOTANICAP®”Patent No. 4242266Capsule shell composition
Patent No. 5539621Capsule shell composition and capsule
Concerning multi-layer filmPatent No. 4968820Capsule
Concerning the chewable film “X-Gel”Patent No. 5618402Method for producing chewable soft capsules
Concerning the enteric film “E-Capsule Clear Non-Coat”Patent No. 5878669Enteric capsule
10493036 (USA)
1/2008/500228 (Philippines)
ZL201680046664.9 (China)
3338804 (Denmark, France)
102519593 (Korea)
Concerning the collapse-delay prevention film “SOLCAP”Patent No. 6019204Soft capsule
Concerning capsicum extract-based membranePatent No. 7199938Method for producing soft capsule shell
Concerning shock-absorbing filmPatent No. 6947500Gelatin-based capsule shell composition and soft capsule
Content-relatedConcerning capsules having high soft extract contentPatent No. 4959955Soft extract-rich capsule and method for producing the same
Concerning hydrophilic substrate “Gummy Cap®”Patent No. 6196091Capsule
Concerning emulsionPatent No. 6153979Oil-in-water emulsion composition containing essential oil and method for producing the same

■Patents related to seamless capsules

Protection targetPatent numberTitle of invention
Flavored capsule-relatedPatent No. 5581446Disintegrable capsule, manufacturing method for same, and smoking equipment containing said disintegrable capsule
Patent No. 7064466
Patent No. 7254848
ZL201480002454.9 (China)
US10015984B2 (USA)
RU2668327 (Russia)
IDP000054422 (Indonesia)
1-2015-502378 (Philippines)
122116 (Ukraine)
J/3545 (Macao)
AP6184 (Africa)
Patent No. 6603817Seamless capsule, and filter and smoking device including same
RU2774539 (Russia)
Concerning thermal-resistant seamless capsulesPatent No.7041945Soft capsule manufacturing method
Concerning large seamless capsulesPatent No.6884369Seamless capsule
Patent No. 7280917

■Patents related to proprietary ingredients

Protection targetPatent numberTitle of invention
Concerning sprouted fermented buckwheat extractPatent No. 4906254Solid composition containing buckwheat extract
Concerning the SUN GingerPatent No. 6240300Method for producing shogaol-containing composition
Concerning persimmon polyphenolPatent No. 7178652Method for producing persimmon polyphenol decomposition product

■Patents related to UniORV®

Protection targetPatent numberTitle of invention
Concerning UniORV®Patent No. 6849007Granulated composition and method for producing the same
Patent No. 6409937Granulation method and granulation apparatus
Patent No. 7147523Granulation method
Patent No. 6103111Oral pharmaceutical composition and method for producing particulate formulation comprising said composition

■Others

Protection targetPatent numberTitle of invention
Concerning Tablate®Patent No. 5622185Soft capsule with high powder content and method for producing the same
Concerning the bioabsorbency promoter-containing composition (Krill Oil + CoQ10, etc.)Patent No. 6299689Composition containing bioabsorption enhancer
Concerning film coatings for tablets Patent No. 7072373Film coating composition and solid formulation
Concerning hard capsule coatingsPatent No. 7044360Coating agent for hard capsules and method for producing hard capsules using the same

Posted on June 23, 2022