Takeda's sales reach $2.9B for 1st-qtr 2007

Japanese pharmaceutical firm Takeda says that its turnover for the first quarter of the fiscal year 2007 was 334.3 billion yen ($2.91 billion), up 6.7% and representing 55.3% of its target for the first half of the financial year. The firm added that drug sales in its home territory were up a modest 3.1% due to the negative influence of the reimbursement price cut, coupled with the impact of generic competition, but grew 13.4% in overseas markets.

Takeda went on to explain that its US subsidiary, Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America (TPNA), had made a strong growth contribution, citing the 43.2% expansion in revenues from its antidiabetes drug Actos (pioglitazone), which generated $611.0 million in the period, as an example. The company added that the performance of Actos had been helped by the market expansion caused by the introduction of Medicare Part D in January of this year and the shortage of GlaxoSmithKline's competitor product Avandia (rosiglitazone).

TPNA also reported that it had seen $16.0 million from sales of the insomnia treatment Rozerem (ramelteon), and a $5.0 million contribution from the chronic idiopathic constipation treatment Amitiza (lubiprostone).