Astellas Seeks To Gain Technology Strength By Foreign Acquisitions (Japan)
This article was originally published in PharmAsia News
Executive Summary
Astellas Pharma Co-Chairman Hatsuo Aoki does not feel it necessary for his company or another Japanese pharmaceutical company to try to become one of the world's largest and will not attempt it. Aoki said the firm does plan to expand this year, however, by seeking mergers and acquisitions to provide it with the technological skills needed to compete on a global scale. But Aoki said in an interview that Astellas is comfortable with its current size and "we no longer have to pursue the merit of scale." He said larger Japanese firms such as Astellas would be looking to buy foreign businesses rather than local ones, to give them access to "breakthrough technologies and promising candidate drugs." (Click here for more - may require a subscription