Takeda's income for fiscal 1st half grows 37%

Japanese drugmaker Takeda says that, for the first half of its fiscal year, income grew 37% to 218.0 billion yen ($1.9 billion), with a 29% hike, to 207.1 billion yen, in revenues derived from the antidiabetic Actos (pioglitazone), driving the earnings expansion.

Overall sales hit 708.47 billion yen, up 10% on the first half of the pervious financial year with, Actos aside, the hypertension treatment Blopress (candesartan cilexetil) providing the firm's biggest revenue contribution at 112.8 billion yen, up 12% on the year-earlier period.

As a result of its improved half-year performance, Takeda increased its full-year net income guidance to 395.0 billion yen, up 18% on the previous financial year, and said that it expects Actos to achieve double-digit growth in the USA despite recent concerns over the safety of such drugs (Marketletter passim). In addition, the firm said that its cholesterol lowerer TAK-475 (lapaquistat), which will be submitted to regulators later than planned, is unlikely to achieve the 100.0 billion yen annual sales originally forecast.