Japanese Pharmaceutical Companies Continue to Expand Overseas

Takeda Pharmaceutical announced its decision to purchase the Philadelphia-based URL Pharma Inc. for $800 million this past Wednesday. This is a deal that follows Asahi Kasei Corp's $2.2 billion acquisition of the Massachusetts-based Zoll Medical Corp that took place last month. Japan is seeing a trend in expanding the horizons of its health care sector. The high price of yen, low cost of drugs, and losses of patents in the United States are driving the country to look overseas, the Wall Street Journal says.

It's interesting to see that Japan, a country known for its global detachment that stems from a historical background of geographic seclusion, (most Japanese can speak only Japanese, refrain from studying overseas, and are highly traditional in their beliefs) is making an attempt to extend its presence overseas. The recent deals raise attention to future acquisitions and large-scale involvement of Japanese companies. It will be intriguing to follow Japan, already one of the world's top superpowers, as develop its health care sector. The deal is expected to close by June.

Chris Kim