DKSH has partnered with Astellas, one of the leading pharma companies globally with more than 17,500 employees. Under the agreement, DKSH will market and distribute the company's range of pharmaceutical products in Myanmar.
Media release
Yangon, Myanmar, June 5, 2019 – DKSH Business Unit Healthcare, Asia's leading partner for healthcare companies seeking to grow their business in Asia, has partnered with Astellas Pharm Inc., a company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products. DKSH will manage the marketing and sales as well as logistics and distribution of Astellas' range of products in Myanmar.
Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Astellas was founded in 2005 through the merger of the two Japanese pharmaceutical companies Fujisawa and Yamanouchi. Astellas is a research and development organization and is commercializing a well-established prostate cancer drug, which is approved and marketed in over 90 countries worldwide, as well as bringing an organ transplant drug on the market, which is available in over 100 countries.
Astellas and DKSH have already been partnering in various markets across Asia, including Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore. DKSH has been successfully commercializing Astellas products throughout these markets over the years and will now be ensuring that Astellas' global core products reach patients in Myanmar.
One of the core brands for the Myanmar market is Advagraf, a well-established, once-daily prescription drug to prevent organ rejection in patients receiving a liver, kidney or heart transplant. Another core product of Astellas for Myanmar is Xtandi, a prescription medicine used to treat men with advanced prostate cancer, who no longer respond to a medical or surgical treatment that lowers testosterone.
Through this partnership, Astellas can tap into DKSH's salesforce and logistics solutions to ensure that patients have access to pharmaceutical products. The company build up its brand presence among the population in Myanmar.
Pei Hong, Managing Director and Head of Astellas South East & South Asia (SESA), said: “The partnership with DKSH enables us to supply patients in Myanmar with our products and fulfill our vision to turn innovative science into value for patients.”
Phillip Wray, Vice President Healthcare, DKSH Myanmar, added: “We are proud to partner with a company that – like us – believes in improving the health of people in our communities. With the largest dedicated salesforce in Asia and a broad reach across various distribution channels, we are committed to driving Astellas' expansion and deepening its brand presence in Myanmar.”
For further information, please contact:
DKSH Myanmar
Su Myat Nandar
Manager, Branding & Communications
+95 9 5139504
su.myat.nandar@dksh.com
DKSH Business Unit Healthcare
Sheena Flannery
Group Communications, Healthcare
+66 2 220 9739
sheena.flannery@dksh.com