Delta-Fly Pharma
Delta-Fly Pharma is a Japan-listed clinical-stage pharmaceutical company (TYO: 4598) that develops anticancer drug candidates through its proprietary Module Technology platform, out-licensing pipeline assets to Japanese pharmaceutical partners for upfront, milestone, and royalty revenue.
- Company typePublic
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersTokushima-shi, Japan
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Delta-Fly Pharma does
Delta-Fly Pharma株式会社 (TYO: 4598) is a Japanese clinical-stage pharmaceutical company founded in December 2010 by Kiyoshi Ejima, former Director of Tokushima Research Center at Taiho Pharmaceutical, and headquartered in Tokushima with a Tokyo office. The company is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market and operates with 11–50 employees. Its core technology is Module Technology (モジュール創薬), a proprietary drug discovery approach that treats approved active pharmaceutical ingredients as modular building blocks and reassembles them using proprietary know-how on dosage, administration route, and combination to generate novel anticancer drug candidates. The company claims this approach shortens time-to-clinic to 1–2 years versus 5–7 years for conventional drug discovery.
The pipeline consists of six drug candidates: DFP-10917 (deoxycytidine analog for relapsed/refractory AML), DFP-14323 (Ubenimex-based EGFR-TKI combination for EGFR-mutant NSCLC), DFP-17729 (alkalinizing agent for solid tumors including pancreatic cancer), DFP-11207 (oral fluoropyrimidine for pancreatic and gastric cancer), DFP-14927 (PEG-conjugated deoxycytidine analog), and DFP-10825 (RNAi therapeutic for peritoneal dissemination). Three assets have been out-licensed under exclusive Japan patent licensing agreements: DFP-10917 to Japan New Pharma (2017), DFP-17729 to Japan Chemipharma (2020), and DFP-14323 to Japan Chemipharma (2022). The company has no direct product sales; all revenue is derived from licensing economics — contract upfront fees, milestone payments, development cooperation funding, and prospective royalties — received from these two Japanese partners. Demand generation is conducted through scientific conference presentations (ASH, ASCO, ESMO Asia) and peer-reviewed journal publications, supported by an investor relations program on the TSE Growth market.
Delta-Fly Pharma firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Delta-Fly Pharma
- Legal name
- Delta-Fly Pharma株式会社
- Website
- https://delta-flypharma.co.jp
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Delta-Fly Pharma is a Japan-listed clinical-stage pharmaceutical company (TYO: 4598) that develops anticancer drug candidates through its proprietary Module Technology platform, out-licensing pipeline assets to Japanese pharmaceutical partners for upfront, milestone, and royalty revenue.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Delta-Fly Pharma industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Oncology Pharmaceuticals
- NAICS
- Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing (3254), Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing (32541)
- SIC
- Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)
- akta.pro primary industry
- GMP Scale-Up, Tech Transfer & Process Validation (PPQ) (HLAGAHAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Drug Substance–Drug Product Integrated CDMO (HLAGABAG)
Keywords
Where Delta-Fly Pharma is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tokushima-shi
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices2 records
Markets served
Delta-Fly Pharma business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Contract Upfront Fees (契約一時金): One-time payments received at the time of signing licensing or partnership agreements with pharmaceutical companies for development and commercialization rights.
- Milestone Payments (マイルストーン): Payments triggered by pre-defined research and development events such as successful clinical trial phases, regulatory submissions, and approval milestones.
- Development Cooperation Funding (開発協力金): Ongoing funding contributions from partner pharmaceutical companies proportional to their share of research and development costs under the collaboration agreement.
- Royalties (ロイヤリティ): Future revenue from product sales, received as a percentage of net sales upon successful commercialization of licensed drug candidates by partner companies.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Delta-Fly Pharma product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Delta-Fly Pharma is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company that discovers and develops novel anticancer drug candidates using its proprietary Module Technology (モジュール創薬), which reassembles existing approved anticancer active pharmaceutical ingredients as modular building blocks with proprietary know-how on dosage, administration route, and combinations. The company then out-licenses these candidates to established Japanese pharmaceutical partners for late-stage development, manufacturing, and commercialization, earning upfront fees, milestone payments, development cooperation funding, and post-launch royalties.
Product overview
Delta-Fly Pharma is a research and development-focused pharmaceutical company that develops anticancer drugs using its proprietary 'Module Technology' (モジュール創薬) platform. The company's product portfolio consists of six drug candidates at various clinical stages: DFP-10917 (deoxycytidine derivative for AML), DFP-14323 (EGFR combination therapy for NSCLC), DFP-17729 (alkalinizing agent for solid tumors), DFP-11207 (oral fluoropyrimidine avoiding thrombocytopenia), DFP-14927 (PEG-conjugated weekly-dosed deoxycytidine), and DFP-10825 (RNAi therapeutic for peritoneal cancers). The Module Technology platform enables rapid drug development by repurposing approved drug active ingredients as building blocks, allowing clinical trials to begin within 1-2 years compared to 5-7 years for traditional drug discovery.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- DFP-10917
- DFP-14323
- DFP-17729
- DFP-11207
- DFP-14927
- DFP-10825
Quantifiable outcome
- Module Technology enables 1-2 year timeline to clinical trials vs. 5-7 years for conventional drug discovery
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Delta-Fly Pharma
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Delta-Fly Pharma technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Delta-Fly Pharma partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Japan Chemipharma (日本ケミファ)coreSecond exclusive patent licensing agreement with Japan Chemipharma for DFP-14323, an EGFR-TKI combination drug candidate for EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer. This asset leverages the immunomodulatory activity of Ubenimex. A Phase 3 clinical trial is evaluating DFP-14323 in combination with afatinib in patients with uncommon EGFR mutations. Contract signed March 8, 2022.
- Japan Chemipharma (日本ケミファ)coreExclusive patent licensing agreement for DFP-17729, an alkalinizing agent-based drug candidate for solid tumors including pancreatic cancer, malignant melanoma, and gastric lymphoma. Japan Chemipharma received exclusive rights for pharmaceutical manufacturing and sales in Japan. The Phase 2/3 randomized study for pancreatic cancer completed Phase 2 enrollment in May 2026. Contract signed March 26, 2020. Term: until Japan Chemipharma and its sublicensees cease product sales.
- Japan New Pharma (日本新薬)coreExclusive patent licensing agreement for DFP-10917, a novel deoxycytidine analog for relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia. Japan New Pharma received exclusive rights for pharmaceutical manufacturing and sales in Japan. Contract signed March 24, 2017. The agreement term extends until patent rights expire in Japan or 15 years after first commercial sale, whichever is later. DFP-10917 was the company's lead pipeline candidate but its Phase 3 trial was terminated before completion in January 2021 (news) / 2026 (per TipRanks). Data was submitted for regulatory review in December 2025.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Delta-Fly Pharma competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Oncolys BioPharma: Japanese clinical-stage oncology R&D biotech developing novel anticancer therapeutics through licensing and partnership model. Comparable as a small-cap Japanese oncology innovator with multiple clinical-stage candidates and out-licensing strategy.
- SymBio Pharmaceuticals: Tokyo-based specialty pharmaceutical company focused on oncology and hematology with in-licensed and proprietary drug development. Comparable in size, Japan-focused oncology focus, and licensing-driven business model.
Others
- Nippon Chemiphar (Nippon Chemiphar Co., Ltd.): Licensing partner for DFP-17729 and DFP-14323 and Japanese pharmaceutical company developing specialty therapeutics including oncology. Comparable as a Japanese mid-cap pharma with oncology development capabilities and a direct commercial relationship to Delta-Fly's pipeline economics.
- Nippon Shinyaku (Nippon Shinyaku Co., Ltd.): Licensing partner for DFP-10917 and Japanese pharmaceutical company with oncology and rare disease franchises. Comparable as a Japanese pharma with oncology drug development and a direct commercial relationship to Delta-Fly's lead asset.
Broad incumbents
- Taiho Pharmaceutical: Major Japanese oncology-focused pharmaceutical company and former employer of Delta-Fly's founder and R&D director. Comparable as a broad Japanese oncology incumbent with deep oncology pipeline, providing strategic context for Delta-Fly's positioning.
- Astellas Pharma: One of Japan's largest pharmaceutical companies with significant oncology franchise (Xtandi, Padcev). Comparable as a broad incumbent operating in Japanese and global oncology markets against which Delta-Fly's pipeline candidates compete.
- Daiichi Sankyo: Major Japanese pharmaceutical company with leading oncology ADC franchise (Enhertu) and pipeline spanning multiple solid tumors. Comparable as a broad incumbent whose oncology programs compete in indications targeted by Delta-Fly's pipeline.
- Eisai: Major Japanese pharmaceutical company with oncology (Lenvima) and neurology focus, plus active R&D pipeline. Comparable as a broad incumbent Japanese pharma operating in oncology indications overlapping with Delta-Fly's targets.
Emerging players
- Peptidream: Japanese clinical-stage biotech using proprietary peptide discovery platform to generate multiple partnered programs with global pharma. Comparable as a small-cap Japanese biotech with a platform-based discovery approach and partnership-driven revenue model.
- Modalis Therapeutics: Japanese clinical-stage biotech developing nucleic acid and gene therapy-based therapeutics with licensing partnerships. Comparable as a small-cap Japanese biotech working in novel modalities (similar to Delta-Fly's RNAi asset DFP-10825) and pursuing out-licensing deals.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Delta-Fly Pharma social profiles
Digital presenceDelta-Fly Pharma financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Delta-Fly Pharma leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Delta-Fly Pharma funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors12 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Delta-Fly Pharma M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Delta-Fly Pharma
What does Delta-Fly Pharma do?
Delta-Fly Pharma is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company that discovers and develops novel anticancer drug candidates using its proprietary Module Technology (モジュール創薬), which reassembles existing approved anticancer active pharmaceutical ingredients as modular building blocks with proprietary know-how on dosage, administration route, and combinations. The company then out-licenses these candidates to established Japanese pharmaceutical partners for late-stage development, manufacturing, and commercialization, earning upfront fees, milestone payments, development cooperation funding, and post-launch royalties.
Is Delta-Fly Pharma a public or private company?
Delta-Fly Pharma is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Delta-Fly Pharma founded?
Delta-Fly Pharma was founded in 2010. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Delta-Fly Pharma based?
Delta-Fly Pharma is headquartered in Tokushima-shi, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does Delta-Fly Pharma make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Contract Upfront Fees (契約一時金) is the primary driver. The others are milestone Payments (マイルストーン), development Cooperation Funding (開発協力金) and royalties (ロイヤリティ).
Who are Delta-Fly Pharma's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Oncolys BioPharma and SymBio Pharmaceuticals. Others are Nippon Chemiphar (Nippon Chemiphar Co., Ltd.) and Nippon Shinyaku (Nippon Shinyaku Co., Ltd.). Broad incumbents are Taiho Pharmaceutical, Astellas Pharma, Daiichi Sankyo and Eisai. Emerging players are Peptidream and Modalis Therapeutics.
Does Delta-Fly Pharma have an API?
No public API is recorded for Delta-Fly Pharma.
What industry is Delta-Fly Pharma in?
Delta-Fly Pharma's product category is Oncology Pharmaceuticals. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAHAL, GMP Scale-Up, Tech Transfer & Process Validation (PPQ), with a secondary code of HLAGABAG, Drug Substance–Drug Product Integrated CDMO. Its NAICS code is 3254 and its SIC code is 2834.