Market Share: Prescription Drugs (Japan)
This article was originally published in PharmAsia News
Executive Summary
Changes in the prescription drug prices imposed by the Japanese government caused prices to drop 6.7 percent in the 2006 fiscal year, but sales slipped only 0.5 percent to 7.71 trillion yen. In regards to market share of pharmaceutical companies, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. remained in the top spot, with increased sales of its Actos diabetes medication pushing its market share up 0.2 percentage points to 8 percent. Astellas Pharma Inc. came in second at 7.2 percent, reporting strong sales of Prograf, which safeguards against organ rejection in transplant patients. Ranking third was Daiichi Sankyo Co. with 6.5 percent of the market, recording a 0.2 percentage point drop due to weaker sales of its Mevalotin cholesterol medication in response to the availability of generics. Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. fell to No. 5 in terms of market share, with Pfizer Japan Inc. taking over its spot in fourth place. (Click here for more