Japam's Daiichi Sankyo quietly expanding in the USA as others downsize

Daiichi Sankyo Inc, the US subsidiary of the like-named Japanese drug major, has been steadily expanding its New Jersey facilities and rapidly increasing its staffing since 2002 to support a growing pipeline of products for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, oncology and infection. The firm says it is one of the few pharmaceutical companies experiencing steady and sustained growth, in a market that has seen most of its larger competitors forced to downsize and consolidate operations.

Although not well known in the USA, Daiichi Sankyo is heading toward mid-sized company status. "Over the next three years, we expect to achieve a 60% growth in sales," commented chief executive Joseph Pieroni. The company, which started its commercial operations in the USA about 10 years ago, has revealed its plans for future growth and the impact it hopes to have in creating additional life sciences positions in "the garden state" at a meeting with Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen (Republican, New Jersey11th District). The Congressman was visiting the drugmaker's US headquarters to meet with the management and employees to discuss health care programs and the future of health care and the industry in the state.

"We applaud Congressman Frelinghuysen's conviction that all Americans should have access to affordable, high-quality health care," said Mr Pieroni, noting that he also supported doubling the research budget for the National Institutes of Health.