STELLA PHARMA

About STELLA PHARMA

Stella Pharma Corporation is a Japanese pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing drugs for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT), a form of radiation therapy for cancer. The company was established in June 2007 as a subsidiary of Stella Chemifa Corporation, which manufactures the essential boron-10 isotope required for BNCT. Stella Pharma is headquartered in Osaka, Japan.

The company's core business revolves around the research, development, and sale of boron-based pharmaceuticals. In March 2020, Stella Pharma received manufacturing and marketing approval in Japan for its drug, Steboronine® (borofalan [10B]), for the treatment of unresectable, locally advanced, or recurrent head and neck cancer. This was the world's first approval for a boron drug specifically for BNCT. The business model is deeply intertwined with the availability of accelerator-based BNCT systems, and the company works to support the sales of these systems, which are manufactured by partners like Sumitomo Heavy Industries. Revenue is generated from the sale of Steboronine® to the medical facilities equipped with these BNCT systems.

BNCT is a targeted radiation treatment where a boron compound, which selectively accumulates in cancer cells, is administered to the patient. The tumor is then irradiated with a low-energy neutron beam, which itself has little effect on the body. When the neutrons hit the boron-10 within the cancer cells, a nuclear reaction occurs, releasing particles that destroy the cancer cells with high precision, minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Following the successful launch for head and neck cancers, Stella Pharma is pursuing the expansion of indications for Steboronine® and developing new formulations, such as a joint research project with Mitsubishi Chemical Group and the University of Tokyo to improve the drug's retention in tumors using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA).