Munich/Rome, March 2, 2009 – The Japanese pharmaceutical company DAIICHI SANKYO is strengthening its sales force in Italy. Effective March 1, the subsidiary of the third-largest Japanese pharmaceutical manufacturer took over 42 employees from Merck Serono, 36 of whom are members of the cardiometabolic sales force. With this acquisition, DAIICHI SANKYO’s sales team in Italy will exceed 190 people, 50 of them exclusively dedicated to visit cardiologists.

DAIICHI SANKYO has also secured marketing rights from Merck Serono for the products Congescor® and Pluscor®. These medications are leading brands in the treatment of heart failure and hypertension. The active ingredient of both is bisoprolol. In Italy, sales of both medications average more than €14 million annually. Thanks to this the DAIICHI SANKYO ITALIA product portfolio will become one of the largest in the cardiovascular area.

The agreement is the fifth of its kind reached by DAIICHI SANKYO and Merck Serono in the last seven months. In Germany, the Japanese pharmaceutical company acquired the sales force for primary-care physicians from Merck Pharma GmbH last August. In Turkey, DAIICHI SANKYO took over the sales force for cardiometabolic products as well as the product family Concor, an anti-hypertensive agent, and Glucophage, a diabetes medication, from Merck.

Shortly thereafter, a similar transaction was carried out in Ireland. In early January, the entire French sales force in the business unit for cardiometabolic products at Merck Lipha Santé was transferred to DAIICHI SANKYO. More than 200 employees were affected by the agreement between the French subsidiary of the Japanese pharmaceutical company and the French subsidiary of Merck Serono.

In contrast to the decline in pharmaceutical sales jobs seen around the world, DAIICHI DANKYO is significantly increasing its workforce in Europe with this agreement in Italy.

“Italy is an important market for DAIICHI SANKYO in Europe. With OLMETEC® and EVISTA® we are marketing strong-selling, patented medications used in the fight against hypertension and osteoporosis. We intend to introduce additional products to the market to treat cardiovascular disease and thrombosis soon. As part of this effort, we need highly qualified employees,” says Reinhard Bauer, CEO of DAIICHI SANKYO EUROPE. “The acquisition of a well-trained – and in the area of cardiovascular illnesses – experienced and successful sales force is an excellent opportunity to meet the large need for additional employees.”

In taking this step, the company is moving quickly to achieve its strategic goals. DAIICHI SANKYO intends to become one of Europe’s leading pharmaceutical companies by 2015. One focus of this effort is reversing the company’s sales ratio: Currently, roughly 60 percent of company turnover is generated in Japan. As a result of corresponding growth in sales, at least 60 percent of Group turnover is to be generated outside Japan by 2015.

CONTACT

Germany:

Thorsten Schüller
Media Relations
Phone: +49(0)89/78 08-657
thorsten.schueller@daiichi-sankyo.eu

Italy:
Elisa Porchetti
Corporate Communication Officer

Tel.: +39 0685255-226

elisa.porchetti@daiichi-sankyo.it

^{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.}