Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. Acquires First US-Based Packaging and Manufacturing Facility

PARSIPPANY, N.J., Feb. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. (DSI), today announced the acquisition of a 140,000 square foot facility in Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania from Amcor, a global packaging manufacturer. This acquisition, worth $10.25 million, enables DSI to leverage existing resources to more cost-effectively supplement its operations rather than build a new facility. The facility is expected to be operational in the summer or early fall of 2011 and is expected to package some of company's portfolio of marketed products, such as Benicar®, Welchol® and Azor®. Once the facility is operating at full capacity, it is expected to assume an increasing responsibility for packaging the entire line of marketed products in the U.S., as well as perform compounding operations for select products.

"Creating and protecting family-sustaining jobs in Pennsylvania is one of this administration's highest priorities, so I'm pleased to announce Daiichi Sankyo's decision to select PA as the site for its first-ever U.S. packaging and manufacturing plant," said Governor Corbett.  "By creating approximately 80 jobs, continuing the productive use of a facility that would otherwise have been closed, and injecting more than $15 million in outside investment into the local economy, this project will have a definite positive impact on the Lehigh Valley region."

DSI conducted a comprehensive national site search with McCallum Sweeney Consulting to identify an existing facility that mirrored the company's packaging goals and specifications. After a national screening of 62 sites in 48 communities in 12 states, the company selected the site in Bethlehem. Upon completing the initial phase of the renovation, DSI plans to hire approximately 80 new employees and will create a positive economic impact through related purchasing of goods and services from local businesses.

"This acquisition diversifies our company's capabilities and allows us to streamline our operations and minimize commercialization risk by exerting greater control over the life cycle of our products, from research and development through packaging and distribution," said Jeff Lane, Vice President of Operations, Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. "We are excited to be opening a facility in Bethlehem and look forward to a productive future working relationship and becoming a part of the local community. The Governor's Action Team, Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation, the Northampton County and City of Bethlehem were invaluable partners in helping to make this milestone possible."

About Daiichi Sankyo

The Daiichi Sankyo Group is dedicated to the creation and supply of innovative pharmaceutical products to address the diversified, unmet medical needs of patients in both mature and emerging markets. While maintaining its portfolio of marketed pharmaceuticals for hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and bacterial infections, the Group is engaged in the development of treatments for thrombotic disorders and focused on the discovery of novel oncology and cardiovascular-metabolic therapies. Furthermore, the Daiichi Sankyo Group has created a "Hybrid Business Model," which will respond to market and customer diversity and optimize growth opportunities across the value chain. For more information, please visit www.daiichisankyo.com

Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, is a member of the Daiichi Sankyo Group.  For more information on Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., please visit www.dsi.com.

SOURCE Daiichi Sankyo, Inc.