Kirin and FANCL Jointly Develop AI-Powered Tablet Design System for Supplements

TOKYO, July 29, 2026 - Kirin Holdings Company, Limited (Kirin Holdings) and FANCL Corporation (FANCL) have jointly developed an AI system for tablet design (“Tablet Design AI”) that leverages accumulated formulation data from supplement development. This AI supports tablet formulation design by evaluating factors such as tablet size, hardness, and ease of swallowing.

This innovation enables a shift from conventional tablet design—previously dependent on the experience and intuition of skilled researchers and extensive prototyping and trial-and-error—to a data-driven approach. As a result, it contributes to shortening the development period of high-quality, easy-to-swallow supplement formulations.

The research results were published in April 2026 in Pharmaceutics, an international academic journal in the field of pharmaceutical formulation and Drug Delivery Systems (DDS*1). The study has been academically recognized for its novelty and effectiveness as a next-generation formulation design technology utilizing AI.
*1 Drug Delivery Systems (DDS): Formulation technologies designed to deliver ingredients to the desired site in an appropriate manner.

1. Purpose and Background of the Research

In tablet design, it is necessary to satisfy multiple physical properties simultaneously, such as ease of swallowing, sufficient hardness to withstand transportation, and appropriate dissolvability in the body. However, these properties influence one another, making it necessary to conduct extensive prototyping and trial-and-error to derive optimal formulation conditions.
To address this challenge, this research aimed to develop an AI system capable of rapidly identifying formulation conditions that satisfy multiple physical property requirements and determining optimal formulation solutions with greater efficiency.

2. Research Methods and Results

The developed AI learns from past research and manufacturing data to predict multiple characteristics of supplement tablets, including:
∙ Ease of swallowing
∙ Hardness to prevent breakage during transport
∙ Dissolvability in the body

The AI can accurately and rapidly evaluate and compare thousands to tens of thousands of combinations of formulation conditions—tasks that are difficult to perform manually.
This enables:
∙ Improved quality through identification of optimal formulations (e.g., faster dissolution, smaller and easier-to-swallow tablets)
∙ Stabilization of product quality (consistent design quality independent of individual researchers)
∙ Reduction in development time
∙ Reduction of raw material loss

3. Future Outlook

Kirin views the expertise and proprietary data held across the Group as important sources of competitive advantage. By combining these assets with advanced technologies such as AI, the company aims to transform R&D and create new customer value. This collaboration with FANCL leverages researchers' expertise in tablet design as data, enabling co-creation between people and AI to improve the precision and speed of product development while enhancing ease of swallowing and product quality.

Going forward, Kirin will continue to leverage its unique data assets in areas such as ingredients, formulations, manufacturing, and quality evaluation. Through the twin pillars of KIRIN Digital Vision 2035—Productivity Improvement and Value Creation—the company aims to create new customer and social value across fields ranging from food to healthcare.

4. Published Paper

Journal: Pharmaceutics
Title: Application of AI in Tablet Development: An Integrated Machine Learning Framework for Pre-Formulation Property Prediction
Authors: Masugu Hamaguchi, Tomoki Adachi, Noriyoshi Arai, et al.
Publication Details: Pharmaceutics (2026, Vol. 18, Issue 4, Article No. 452)

5. Comments from Development Teams

Kirin Holdings Company, Limited – R&D Division, Kirin Central Research Institute

This joint research originated from an encounter at an internal research presentation. Our organization was responsible for building AI models and developing the application.
While tablet design may appear simple, it is in fact a highly complex and nuanced field. Through dialogue with researchers at FANCL, we worked to formalize knowledge and expertise related to tablet design. By integrating physical data such as ingredient properties and manufacturing conditions into the AI, we succeeded in developing an AI system that goes beyond proof of concept and can be practically applied in real R&D environments.
Moving forward, we aim to expand the scope of AI applications and contribute to further value creation.

FANCL Corporation – Research Institute, Functional Foods Laboratory
Director Tomoki Adachi

During my time working in product development, even when a good formulation was found, I constantly wondered whether there might be an even better combination. When development stalled, I often faced uncertainty about whether to continue refinement or shift to a different approach.
The Tablet Design AI developed in this project addresses these challenges.
By enabling humans and AI to think together, we will be able to complete product development with greater confidence, knowing that we have thoroughly explored all viable options. Furthermore, by expanding the range of parameters that AI can predict, we aim to pursue even higher-quality and more valuable designs to meet customer expectations.

About Kirin Holdings

Kirin Holdings Company, Limited is a global company operating across three core business domains spanning Alcoholic Beverages, Non-alcoholic Beverages & Health Science, and Pharmaceuticals. The company traces its roots to Japan Brewery, established in 1885, which later became Kirin Brewery in 1907. Since then, Kirin has expanded its business operations by leveraging fermentation and biotechnology as core strengths. The company entered the pharmaceutical field in the 1980s, which has since grown into a global business. In 2007, the company transitioned to a pure holding company structure as Kirin Holdings, and it is now strengthening its Non-alcoholic Beverages & Health Science domain.

Under its long-term vision “Innovate2035!”, the Kirin Group is focused on creating value that encourage behavioral change among consumers and patients, creating new lifestyle habits in the areas of food and health. With a unique business portfolio spanning Alcoholic Beverages, Non-alcoholic Beverages & Health Science, and Pharmaceuticals, the Group will further expand group-wide initiatives that support both mental and physical well-being.

The Kirin Group will continue to advance innovation through the combined strength of its people and technology, creating both social and economic value as a global leader in CSV*, while pursuing sustainable, long-term growth in corporate value.

*Creating Shared Value: combined added value for consumers as well as for society at large.