†rsrapport Nycomed - Takeda Pharmaceuticals International GmbH

BUSINESS DESCRIPTIONNYCOMED MARKETSCENTRAL EUROPEIn 2000, the German speaking countries Austria, Germany and Switzerland wereorganised under one region, called Central Europe. Although there are differencesbetween the three countries, both in terms of the Nycomed product portfolioand the depth of market penetration, there has been, for the first time, a concertedeffort made in 2000 to optimise the synergies that do exist. These synergiesare characterised by similar prescription habits, the same medical education,a shared language and by opinion leaders who are recognised across borders.The Marketing & Sales organisation in Austria ended its business year with a netsales increase of 24% compared to the previous year. The main drivers behindthis strong growth were Pantoprazole (Zurcal ® ) and TachoComb ® . ForTachoComb ® , Nycomed's market-share in the fibrin glue market has alreadyreached 45%. For the indications where TachoComb ® may be used, it has alreadyreached 90%. Another important contributor to the sales growth was a rangeof generic anaesthetic products, which in a short period reached a market-shareof approximately 60%. The year 2000 also proved that Nycomed Austria couldsuccessfully grow in the OTC segment, which ended the year with a net salesincrease of 42% compared to 1999.The year 2000 was the first business year in which Nycomed had its own organisationin Germany. Currently, sales representatives in Germany are required tofocus on hospital products. The small GP sales force also works with a few selectedkey customers in order to keep the two main products Actovegin ® and Gutron ®in the German market. The hospital sales force was also increased in order togive full market coverage. This has already had a positive impact on the sales ofTachoComb ® . Total sales growth in Germany was 26% compared to 1999.In Switzerland the subsidiary continued its impressive growth, primarily driven bythe key products, Pantoprazole and Calcium D 3. Total sales growth in Switzerlandwas 28% compared to 1999.–21–