Daiichi Sankyo is betting on a new wave of antibody-drug conjugates to reduce its reliance on Enhertu, as the Japanese drugmaker pushes to expand its oncology business ahead of the blockbuster cancer treatment¡¯s patent expiry.
¡°The next five years are critical in defining Daiichi Sankyo¡¯s future,¡± CEO Hiroyuki Okuzawa said in an interview Tuesday. ¡°We have no intention of making Daiichi Sankyo a company that just happened to hit with ADC and ended there.¡±
The company aims to more than double oncology revenue to above ?2.3 trillion ($14.6 billion) by 2030 and become one of the world¡¯s top five oncology players by 2035. The targets, outlined in a midterm plan released Monday, come as investors assess growth prospects beyond Enhertu, which generated about ?700 billion in sales in fiscal 2025 and has become its primary earnings driver.
The pipeline includes Datroway, developed with AstraZeneca, which the U.K. drugmaker has said extended survival in hard-to-treat breast cancer patients.
Enhertu¡¯s base patents will start expiring in late 2033.
¡°We are not taking an optimistic view of this patent risk,¡± Okuzawa said, adding that the company is developing other formulations and next-generation products to offset the loss of exclusivity.
Daiichi Sankyo is seeking to generate additional breakthrough technologies mainly in-house, with some candidates already entering first-in-human trials. Over the next five years, it plans to select candidates to invest in for large-scale trials.
The company is also considering external deals ¡ª including but not limited to oncology ¡ª to build a pipeline for the period after 2031, with the aim of advancing those assets through clinical development into its next midterm plan, Okuzawa said.
Daiichi Sankyo forecast operating income of ?315 billion for fiscal 2027, missing the average analyst estimate of ?413.9 billion. It expects operating profit to exceed ?600 billion by 2030. Shares have fallen 18% so far this year.
As part of a broader shift toward innovative medicines, the company announced last month that it will sell its over-the-counter unit, Daiichi Sankyo Healthcare, to Suntory Holdings, using the proceeds to fund oncology drug development.
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