Kobayashi's 4th-qtr 2006 net income up 12.5%

Tokyo, Japan-based Kobayashi Pharmaceutical says that, for the quarter ended December 31, 2006, its net sales and operating, ordinary and net income all demonstrated strong improvement on the previous year. Net sales amounted to 202.44 billion yen ($1.66 billion), an increase of 5.3% on the like, year-ago period, while operating income rose 12.5% to 16.03 billion yen. Net income for the quarter jumped 22.1% to 8.47 billion yen, due to a 1.63 billion yen impairment charge posted a year earlier.

In addition to its deodorizing air fresheners, which are the leading product category in this segment, Kobayshi's Nicitol 85, a diet pill for breaking up and burning abdominal fat, and Shoyo, its medicated toothpaste for preventing periodontal disease, contributed greatly to increased sales, which grew 9.1% to 6.83 billion yen. The company says it also enforced cost-cutting measures in areas such as manufacturing and, as a result, operating income rose 11.6% to 1.56 billion yen.