Astellas unveils five year strategy

Astellas, the Japanese pharmaceutical company, has announced a new five year “management plan” to help the company achieve its aim of creating a “sustainable enhancement of enterprise value” through producing “innovative and reliable” new products.

The company explained that it was coming near the end of a three-year management plan formed after the creation of the company in 2004.

In order to face the “difficulties” that will be caused by patent expirations of the company’s two largest-selling drugs – Prograf, the immunosuppressant, and Harnal, the drug for benign prostatic cancer – Astellas claims it will continue to generate growth through enhancing its presence in Japan, the US, Europe and Asia.

It also promises to “steadily and rapidly” perform a roll-out of its “promising” compounds in late stage clinical development, while reducing the number of global production sites from the current 18 to ten.

Additionally, Astellas has decided to focus its research and development efforts in disease areas like urology, inflammation, immunology, diabetes, infections and cancer, while in-licensing new drugs to strengthen its pipeline further.

In August, Astellas announced it planned to cease manufacturing its Ketec antibiotic, the first ketolide. The move followed reports of “severe liver toxicity”, as seen in some patients.