For Immediate Release

Company name: DAIICHI SANKYO COMPANY, LIMITED
Representative: Joji Nakayama, President and CEO
(Code no.: 4568, First Section of Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya Stock Exchanges)
Please address inquiries to Toshiaki Sai, Corporate Officer,
Vice President, Corporate Communications Department
Telephone: +81-3-6225-1126 (Public Relations)
+81-3-6225-1125 (Investor Relations)
http://www.daiichisankyo.com/

Daiichi Sankyo Espha Begins Operations in Japan to Sell Generics and Long-listed, Off-patent Pharmaceuticals with Proven Market Presence

Tokyo, Japan (September 30, 2010) – Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited (hereafter, Daiichi Sankyo), announced today that Daiichi Sankyo Espha Co., Ltd. (hereafter, Daiichi Sankyo Espha), will start operations in Japan on October 1, 2010. This wholly Daiichi Sankyo-owned subsidiary began preparing to supply established pharmaceuticals (see note below) to the Japanese market following its founding on April 1, 2010.

 

Note: "Established pharmaceuticals" is Daiichi Sankyo’s term for generics and long-listed, off-patent drugs with strong reputations for their efficacy, safety, and usage regimens.

 

1.   About Daiichi Sankyo Espha

In the spirit of the Daiichi Sankyo Group’s basic concept of supplying pharmaceuticals to meet diverse medical needs, Daiichi Sankyo Espha was created to accommodate rising demand for generic drugs and supply long-listed Daiichi Sankyo pharmaceuticals with established reputations for efficacy and safety whose patents have expired as of April 1, 2010.

 

Daiichi Sankyo Espha will begin domestic operations on October 1, 2010. It will adhere to Daiichi Sankyo’s corporate philosophy of contributing to patient health by becoming a trusted partner in providing pharmaceuticals that fulfill the critical roles of quality, information, and stable supply while delivering the economical benefits of generics.

 

2. Profile of Daiichi Sankyo Espha Business

(1)  Four key business priorities

 • Quality

        Provide superior products based on an advanced quality assurance

 • Information

        Supply product information that matches medical needs

 • Product Supply

        Maintain a stable product supply

 • Economy

        Deliver reasonable pricing through low-cost operations

 

(2)  Organizational structure

 • Sales and marketing structure

   -The 12 sales departments within the East and West Japan sales promotion departments have around 70 representatives (as of October 1).

   -East Japan Sales Promotion Department: Hokkaido, Tohoku, Tokyo, Chiba-Saitama, Kanagawa, and Tokyo No. 2 sales departments

   -West Japan Sales Promotion Department: Tokai, Kinki, Keiji-Hokuriku, Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu sales departments

• Quality and Safety Management structure

   Regulatory Affairs, Pharmacovigilance, and Quality Assurance, and Consumer Service Office from October 2010

 

(3)  Products

• Long-listed, Off-patent Pharmaceuticals

   -19 products consisting of seven long-listed compounds, including Pantosin, S•M combination powder, and Miltax (sales starting on October 1)

• Generics

   -43 products incorporating 24 generic compounds, including Amlodipine, and Imidapril (sales starting from October 6)

 

For product details, please visit the medical professionals section of the Daiichi Sankyo Espha website below. This section will go online at 9:00 a.m. on October 1.

      

The URL for this Japanese-language website is: http://www.daiichisankyo-ep.co.jp/