Takeda Says Lifestyle-Disease Drugs Will Drive Growth
Lifestyle-Disease Drugs Will Drive Takeda’s Growth
JB Reed/ Bloomberg
Takeda Pharmaceutical's Actos, the world’s top-selling diabetes treatment seen here, is scheduled to lose patent protection in January.
Takeda Pharmaceutical's Actos, the world’s top-selling diabetes treatment seen here, is scheduled to lose patent protection in January. Photographer: JB Reed/ Bloomberg
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. said an unfulfilled need for medicines to treat lifestyle diseases including diabetes will spur sales growth as its biggest drug Actos faces generic competition.
The company, Asia’s largest drugmaker, expects to sell alogliptin, a diabetes drug in the final stage of patient studies, in 2012, Masato Iwasaki, head of Takeda’s planning division, said in an interview. Osaka, Japan-based Takeda awaits U.S. regulatory approval for a new drug for high blood pressure.
Takeda will also rely on treatments for cancer and brain disorders to counter an anticipated revenue drop as Actos, the world’s top-selling diabetes treatment, is scheduled to lose patent protection in January, Iwasaki said. The number of obese adults may surge 75 percent globally by 2015, and deaths from diabetes may double in the next two decades, according to the World Health Organization.
“Lifestyle diseases are still an unmet medical need,” Iwasaki said yesterday.
Takeda fell 0.5 percent to 3,935 yen as of 1:52 p.m. in Tokyo trading. Japan’s benchmark Topix index rose 0.8 percent.
The company has at least two other lifestyle-disease drugs in the second of three rounds of patient trials required for regulatory approval.
Takeda is testing an obesity medicine bought from Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc. last November that combines the diabetes drug Symlin and a hormone linked to weight loss. The company is also conducting tests on TAK-875, a diabetes drug in a new class of treatment, Iwasaki said.
Actos generated 99.5 billion yen in the quarter ended June 30 and accounted for 28 percent of Takeda’s total revenue. The company has settled lawsuits with at least six generic-drug makers to delay copycat versions of Actos from entering the U.S. market until August 2012.
To contact the reporter on this story: Kanoko Matsuyama in Tokyo at kmatsuyama2@bloomberg.net.
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