The Japanese pharmaceutical company DAIICHI SANKYO Group has purchased the European rights to the osteoporosis medication EVISTA® from the U.S. Company Eli Lilly and Company. In the process, the company is planning to gain additional sales volume of approximately €80 million. "By purchasing these rights, we are pressing ahead with our expansion strategy in Europe and have taken another major step toward our goal of achieving at least €1 billion in sales by no later than 2011," said Reinhard Bauer, CEO of DAIICHI SANKYO EUROPE GmbH. But, Bauer noted this was only an interim objective. "By 2015, we intend to be one of the leading research-focused pharmaceutical companies in Europe," he added.
In 2006, the marketing and distribution rights to EVISTA® in six European countries, including Germany, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland and Austria were granted to DAIICHI SANKYO. The latest agreement covers the remaining countries in Europe, with the exception of Greece, where Lilly will continue to market the product with its joint venture company Pharmaserve. The recent agreement is subject to the approval of the competent antitrust authorities.
The agreement represents an expansion of the partnership between DAIICHI SANKYO and Eli Lilly and Company. Both companies are already working jointly on Prasugrel, an oral antiplatelet agent originally developed by DAIICHI SANKYO.
About DAIICHI SANKYO Company, Limited
DAIICHI SANKYO Company, Limited, established in 2005 after the merger of two leading century-old Japanese pharmaceutical companies, is a global pharmaceutical innovator, continuously generating innovative drugs that enrich the quality of life for patients around the world. The company uses its cumulative knowledge and expertise in the fields of cardiovascular disease, cancer, metabolic disorders, and infection as a foundation for developing an abundant product lineup and R&D pipeline. For more information, visit www.daiichi-sankyo.eu.