07.14.15
Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan
www.otsuka.com
TOP SELLING DRUGS
The Japanese giant Otsuka has shown its face for the first time in the rankings this year. The second biggest pharma company in Japan behind Takeda, it has grown steadily following the joining of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2010. This has been facilitated in part by the acquisition of Astex Pharmaceuticals in 2013. Also, in December 2014 Otsuka announced a deal in which Otsuka America, its U.S. subsidiary, would buy U.S.-based Avanir Pharmaceuticals for just over $3.5 billion, and is expected to complete any time now. Avanir, based in Southern California, is a biopharma company specializing in CNS diseases. More recently, Otsuka established Australian ops with a new office in Sydney as part of an effort to build a larger, long-term presence in the region.
Otsuka co-promotes Abilify (arpiprazole) an antipsychotic used to treat schizophrenia with BMS, and this agreement has literally bagged them millions since its launch. However, Abilify lost its patent in 4Q14 and with the longer acting sister Ability Maintena due to come off patent in May 2015 the outlook for sales this year looks bleak, bearing in mind its CNS sales last year dropped by 50%.
Avanir could be Otuskas’ knight in shining armor as it will give them immediate access to Nuedexta, a pseudobulbar affect drug commonly used in neurological conditions. Its sales came in around $100 million last year and merrily growing it is expected to peak at $300 million. On top of this, Otsuka has an Alzheimer’s drug candidate AVP-923, which is showing lots of promise, and if that doesn’t work out there’s always AVP-825, an inhaled migraine therapy. AVP-825 has some wrinkles to iron out having been rejected by the FDA last year; however it could be a very wise purchase, and maybe, just maybe, keep Otsuka in the Top 25 in 2016.
* Due to a change in the fiscal year end to December 2014, a transitional period for the change covers nine months from April 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014. Thus, percentage changes compared to the previous fiscal year are not applicable.
www.otsuka.com
Headcount: | 28,000 | |
Year Established: | 1921 | |
Revenues: | $10,207 | n/a* |
Net Income: | $1,192 | n/a |
R&D: | $1,441 | n/a |
TOP SELLING DRUGS
Drug | Indication | 2014 Sales | (+/-%) |
Abilify | schizophrenia | $4,931 | n/a |
Pletaal | anti-platelet agent | n/a | |
Tesyuno | gastric cancer | n/a |
The Japanese giant Otsuka has shown its face for the first time in the rankings this year. The second biggest pharma company in Japan behind Takeda, it has grown steadily following the joining of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2010. This has been facilitated in part by the acquisition of Astex Pharmaceuticals in 2013. Also, in December 2014 Otsuka announced a deal in which Otsuka America, its U.S. subsidiary, would buy U.S.-based Avanir Pharmaceuticals for just over $3.5 billion, and is expected to complete any time now. Avanir, based in Southern California, is a biopharma company specializing in CNS diseases. More recently, Otsuka established Australian ops with a new office in Sydney as part of an effort to build a larger, long-term presence in the region.
Otsuka co-promotes Abilify (arpiprazole) an antipsychotic used to treat schizophrenia with BMS, and this agreement has literally bagged them millions since its launch. However, Abilify lost its patent in 4Q14 and with the longer acting sister Ability Maintena due to come off patent in May 2015 the outlook for sales this year looks bleak, bearing in mind its CNS sales last year dropped by 50%.
Avanir could be Otuskas’ knight in shining armor as it will give them immediate access to Nuedexta, a pseudobulbar affect drug commonly used in neurological conditions. Its sales came in around $100 million last year and merrily growing it is expected to peak at $300 million. On top of this, Otsuka has an Alzheimer’s drug candidate AVP-923, which is showing lots of promise, and if that doesn’t work out there’s always AVP-825, an inhaled migraine therapy. AVP-825 has some wrinkles to iron out having been rejected by the FDA last year; however it could be a very wise purchase, and maybe, just maybe, keep Otsuka in the Top 25 in 2016.
—Adele Graham-King
* Due to a change in the fiscal year end to December 2014, a transitional period for the change covers nine months from April 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014. Thus, percentage changes compared to the previous fiscal year are not applicable.