Annual Report 2009 - Daiichi Sankyo

Healthcare Business
Striving to Realize Total Healthcare
to Meet the Needs of a
Greater Number of People
Daiichi Sankyo is positioning its healthcare operations as a core
business segment, encompassing over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceuticals
and peripheral product categories such as functional
foods and functional skincare products.
In Japan, people are paying more attention to their health, and
there is increasingly widespread belief in the concept of “selfmedication”
or “taking care of one’s own health” rather than
always relying on doctors. These trends are expected to intensify,
along with the trend of increasingly diverse needs for OTC drugs.
To meet those needs, Daiichi Sankyo Healthcare Co., Ltd.
(DSHC), is leveraging the breadth and depth of its product lineup
as well as the powerful R&D and marketing of a major pharmaceutical
company as it continues striving to realize the concept of
“total healthcare.”
In fiscal 2008, DSHC launched 13 new products, including
Gaster 10 Liquid, which is Japan’s first H 2 -receptor blocker liquid
formulation stomach medication. Reflecting DSHC’s determination
to offer a more-convenient formulation, Gaster 10 Liquid makes it
“easy to drink anywhere and anytime” in response to sudden
stomach problems. DSHC recorded ¥47.2 billion in net sales, a
6.2% decrease from fiscal 2007 but a somewhat smaller decline
than the year-on-year drop in Japan’s OTC market.
DSHC sustained its campaign to promote Transino—the first
medication in Japan to receive official approval for the indication of
skin blemishes caused by melasma—through various measures
including pamphlet distribution, the establishment of a telephone
consultation service staffed exclusively by women, and others
aimed at increasing the awareness of the benefits and administration
methods of Transino.
Toshio Takahashi
Representative Director, President
Daiichi Sankyo Healthcare Co., Ltd.
Drawing on its exclusive formulation and manufacturing technologies,
DSHC was able to develop Patecs Usupita Shippu—the
thinnest and lightest standard-sized (10cm x 14cm) OTC analgesic
poultice available in Japan. In order to quickly maximize sales of
this epochal product, the company has launched TV commercials
featuring Ryo Ishikawa, a young professional golfer who has
attracted huge attention in the sports world as well as in Japanese
society at large.
In fiscal 2009, the amendment of Japan’s Pharmaceutical
Affairs Law is enabling changes in OTC drug marketing methods
designed to create a system that is more effective and easier for
consumers to understand. Viewing these changes as an opportunity
to deepen consumers’ understanding of OTC products,
DSHC is seeking to further augment its brand power and thereby
expand its presence in its existing business segments. DSHC
is also proactively moving to develop products—centered on
Rx-to-OTC-switch products—that open up new market segments
and offer new kinds of efficacy, and is moreover pursuing additional
new growth opportunities such as those related to overseas
business.
Patecs Usupita Shippu Transino Gaster 10 Liquid
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Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. Annual Report 2009