Dainippon Sumitomo looks to anticancer and diabetes sectors; posts 7.4% sales hike

Along with reporting first-quarter fiscal 2008 results, Masayo Tada, president of Japanese drugmaker Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma, said the firm would announce a decision to enter the anticancer drug market full-scale in the near future, and is also targeting the diabetes sector. He also noted that "there is a great possibility to invest our cash, 100.0 billion yen [$910.0 million], in buying cancer expertise," pointing out that DSP can also resort to help from its parent company, Sumitomo Chemical.

The drugmaker has filed a New Drug Application for miriplatin (SM-11355), for hepatocellular carcinoma, and is already marketing Sumiferon (interferon alfa), he noted at a post-results press briefing in Tokyo.

Sales for the reporting period increased 7.4% to 70.1 billion yen compared to the same period a year ago. Turnover of its mainstay drug Amlodin (amlodipine besylate), a treatment of hypertension and angina pectoris, advanced 8.2% to 16.4 billion yen. Since many copy-cat drugs were launched all at once in July, the impact of these generics on the financial results has been worrying, said Mr Tada, adding: "we cannot foresee the impact in actual figure at present but it will come out in about two months from now." With a shift from the existing tablet preparation of amlodipine to oral disintegration form, the later now accounts for 48% of the compound's turnover, and the company aims to promote the OD tablets against the generic competitors.