Otsuka Pharmaceutical sees international sales up 16.2 per cent

Japanese firm Otsuka Pharmaceutical saw its international sales of treatments increase 16.2 per cent in the year to the end of March 2008, new figures from the company show.

Overall, the firm’s overseas sales totalled 357.5 billion yen (1.74 billion pounds) over the 12-month period, up from 307.5 billion yen for the same timeframe in 2006-07.

These transactions contributed to total worldwide sales of 928.4 billion yen in the year to March, up from the previously reported result of 853.9 billion yen – an increase of 8.7 per cent year-on-year.

A key contributor to Otsuka’s improved international performance was its treatment for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in adolescents, Abilify, which experienced higher sales in Europe as well as gaining approval in the US, the company said.

Otsuka added that with the increasing globalisation of the pharmaceuticals market, it expects its international performance to be a “strong determinant” of future results, particularly in the light of increased competition from consolidated Japanese rivals and greater penetration of the domestic market by European and US firms.

Otsuka Pharmaceutical traces its roots to the Otsuka Pharmaceutical Factory, which was established in 1921. Today, the group comprises 99 companies and employs 31,000 people in 17 different countries.