Eli Lilly Japan's 2006 sales up 7% to $700M

In 2006, the Japanese unit of US drug major Eli Lilly increased its sales 7% on the previous year to 82.1 billion yen ($700.4 million), due to strong showings from the osteoporosis drug Evista (raloxifene HCl) and Zyprexa (olanzapine), a treatment for schizophrenia.

At a recent press conference in Tokyo, Newton Crenshaw, president of the company, said that sales of Zyprexa rose 11% to 34 billion yen; turnover of insulin products gained 5% to 14.1 billion yen; while income from the cancer drug Zemzar (gemcitabine HCl) jumped 18% to 12.9 billion yen. Sales of Evista, which is co-marketed with Chugai, soared 50% to over 18.0 billion yen in total, reaching the number two position in the osteoporosis market in the first two years since its launch. However, Humatrope, a growth hormone product, fell 5% to 8.4 billion yen, while Permax (pergolide mesilate) for Parkinson's disease, dropped 4% to 11.2 billion yen.

Mr Crenshaw told the Marketletter that "we are aiming at dominating a 2% and 3% market share in Japan in 2010 and 2015, respectively, based on our mid- and long-term business strategy, Double-Double Vision." The company aims to achieve first and second positions in central nervous system disorder drugs, endocrinology, bone and oncology.