Abbott to expand in Japan

Abbott Laboratories is planning to extend the range of products itmarkets in Japan, now largely drugs for respiratory and digestive disorders, to include rheumatoid arthritis, cancer and other therapies, and expects its sales in Japan to exceed 100 billion yen ($845 million) in the year through November. Abbott will offer two drugs under development with Eisai, the RA drug D2E7 (in the next three to five years) and an obesity product. It also plans to start clinical trials there of a prostate cancer drug, reports the Nihon Keizai Shimbun.