Astellas to establish US global development base

Japanese drugmaker Astellas Pharma says that, as part of a revision of its global management system, it plans to establish a new US subsidiary to oversee its worldwide development operations. The new unit, which will be known as Astellas Pharma Global Development, will be based at Deerfield, in Illinois. The firm said that APGD would both improve its competitiveness in the country and serve as an excellent base for the implementation of new development strategies for the local, Japanese and European markets. The company went on to say that it had taken the decision to transfer this aspect of its operation on the expectation that its overseas businesses, that is those outside Japan, will provide 50% of its consolidated sales for the financial year 2007, which ends on March 31 this year.