Takeda Pharmaceutical Company of Japan has posted lower net profit of Yen 34 billion during the first quarter ended June 2014 as against Yen 36 billion in the corresponding period of last year due to stagnant sales, higher input costs and launch of new products in the US. Its revenue improved marginally by 0.2 per cent to Yen 411 billion from Yen 410 billion. Its earnings per share worked out to Yen 42.40 as compared to Yen 45.53 in the last period.

The company's sales of Ethical drugs improved only by 0.5 per cent to Yen 372 billion as its sales in Japan declined by 2.2 per cent to Yen 138 billion. Contribution from sales increase of products launched in and after 2010 such as Asilva and Nesina could not fully absorb the decrease in sales mainly due to the National Health Insurance price reduction and the penetration of generic products. However, its overseas sales improved by 2.7 per cent to Yen 234 billion due to higher sales of Velcade in the US and Pantoprazole in emerging markets including Asia.   

Its R&D expenditure declined 5.1 per cent to Yen 75 billion from Yen 79 billion. In the short term, Takeda is striving to ensure the steady approval of phase III programmes, and the approval of Entyvio in the US and Europe within the same month for ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease is an example of a significant success in the this area. In the long term, It will invest in cutting-edge science and technology to further invigorate drug discovery research and strengthen alliance with research organizations and consortiums.

The company entered agreement in June 2014 with Sanofi to build a collaborative system within Japan in the field of diabetes awareness and education. The marketing system introduced this year of therapeutic area medical representatives is also progressing well, enabling Takeda to provide a higher level of specialization to better meet the diverse needs of healthcare providers.