TOKYO -- Japanese drugmaker Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical's group operating profit appears to have declined 13% on the year to just under 5 billion yen ($44.9 million) for the March-May quarter as anti-inflammatories and other mainstays get squeezed by generic rivals.
Sales are seen down 8% at about 35 billion yen. The Mohrus Patch anti-inflammatory pain remedy, which accounts for 40% of consolidated sales, declined in volume terms. New regulations limiting patients to 70 sheets per prescription have also taken a toll. A menopausal-symptom medicine from U.S. subsidiary Noven Pharmaceuticals did not perform well, either.
