Switzerland's Novartis to Boost Japan Market Share

The Japanese subsidiary of Swiss drug major Novartis is hoping to boost its local market share to more than 4 percent by 2007, compared to the 2.7 percent share recorded for 2000. The firm has reported a 10.4 percent year-on-year rise in sales in Japan to JPY232.5bn (US$2.24bn) for 2004. The results indicate that Novartis has a 3.86 percent share of the country's prescription market, which is expected to reach US$69bn by 2007.