Interim GrowthAt Terumo

Terumo of Japan posted a sales increase of 2.1% to 49.4 billion yen ($502 million) in the six-month reporting period ended September 1994. Ordinary profits increased significantly to just under 6 billion yen, a rise of 35%. Net profits were slightly below 2 billion yen, up 7.9%.

Like other Japanese companies operating in the pharmaceutical market, Terumo's drug sales were adversely affected by government price cuts in Japan. Pharmaceutical sales were 25.8 billion yen, compared with 27.7 billion yen a year earlier. Exports of pharmaceuticals were 5.5% up at 9.5 million yen.

Sales of transfusion devices increased, as did Terumo's sales of artificial organ and catheter systems. Sales of syringes and clinical laboratory equipment declined, reports Pharma Japan.