DAIICHI SANKYO acquires osteoporosis medication EVISTA® from Lilly
Munich, March 5th, 2008 – The Japanese pharmaceutical company DAIICHI SANKYO Group has purchased the European rights to the osteoporosis medication EVISTA® from the U.S. Company Eli Lilly and Company. In the process, the company is planning to gain additional sales volume of approximately €80 million.
“By purchasing these rights, we are pressing ahead with our expansion strategy in Europe and have taken another major step toward our goal of achieving at least €1 billion in sales by no later than 2011,” said Reinhard Bauer, CEO of DAIICHI SANKYO EUROPE GmbH. But, Bauer noted this was only an interim objective. “By 2015, we intend to be one of the leading research-focused pharmaceutical companies in Europe,” he added.
In 2006, the marketing and distribution rights to EVISTA® in six European countries, including Germany, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland and Austria were granted to DAIICHI SANKYO. The latest agreement covers the remaining countries in Europe, with the exception of Greece, where Lilly will continue to market the product with its joint venture company Pharmaserve. The recent agreement is subject to the approval of the competent antitrust authorities.
The agreement represents an expansion of the partnership between DAIICHI SANKYO and Eli Lilly and Company. Both companies are already working jointly on Prasugrel, an oral antiplatelet agent originally developed by DAIICHI SANKYO.
About DAIICHI SANKYO Company, Limited
DAIICHI SANKYO Company, Limited, established in 2005 after the merger of two leading century-old Japanese pharmaceutical companies, is a global pharmaceutical innovator, continuously generating innovative drugs that enrich the quality of life for patients around the world. The company uses its cumulative knowledge and expertise in the fields of cardiovascular disease, cancer, metabolic disorders, and infection as a foundation for developing an abundant product lineup and R&D pipeline.
CONTACTS
Dr. Thomas Portz
Corporate Communications
Phone +49(0)89/78 08-468
thomas.portz@daiichi-sankyo.eu
Olaf Lamberz
Corporate Communications
Phone +49(0)89/78 08-442
olaf.lamberz@daiichi-sankyo.eu
Forward-looking statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements and information about future developments in the sector, and the legal and business conditions of DAIICHI SANKYO EUROPE GmbH. Such forward-looking statements are uncertain and are subject at all times to the risks of change, particularly to the usual risks faced by a global pharmaceutical company, including the impact of the prices for products and raw materials, medication safety, changes in exchange rates, government regulations, employee relations, taxes, political instability and terrorism as well as the results of independent demands and governmental inquiries that affect the affairs of the company. All forward-looking statements contained in this release hold true as of the date of publication. They do not represent any guarantee of future performance. Actual events and developments could differ materially from the forward-looking statements that are explicitly expressed or implied in these statements. DAIICHI SANKYO EUROPE GmbH assumes no responsibility for the updating of such forward-looking statements about future developments of the sector, legal and business conditions and the company.
