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| That strong sales performance
is attributable to expansion in overall demand for kampo
medicines and to our marketing efforts. The Japanese market
for kampo medicines totals about 100 billion JPY (about
$750 million), and prescription preparations account for
more than 80% of the market overall. At Tsumura, we did
better than merely increase our sales total in that market.
Our market share increased more than one percentage point,
to about 75%. |
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Japanese fiscal policy in the
health care sector will continue to weigh heavily on drug
prices. In that adverse environment, kampo offers compelling
advantages in cost performance. That cost performance
arises from the versatility of kampo preparations. Each
preparation contains extracts from multiple medicinal
herbs. The preparations thus are useful for treating a
broad range of health complaints.
We expect interest in kampo preparations to continue to
grow. As the
industry leader, we work to promote kampo in the context
of evidence-based medicine. A scientific, technology-
intensive approach characterizes our efforts to maximize
the kampo contribution to health.
We take the initiative in providing physicians and pharmacists
throughout Japan with pertinent scientific information,
including basic information about kampo and the latest
research findings. Our activities include convening seminars
nationwide, conducting surveys to monitor attitudes toward
kampo, visiting hospitals and clinics, distributing materials
through follow- up mailings and promoting kampo education
in university medical schools. |
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