What should I know about Astellas?
Astellas Pharma is a Japanese pharmaceutical company based in Tokyo. It was formed on 1 April 2005 from the merger of Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical and Fujisawa Pharmaceutical. It focuses on cancer, eye disease and urology, among other areas, and sells medicines worldwide. In the first quarter of its 2026 financial year (April to June 2026) it reported revenue of ¥640.9 billion, up 26.7%, and core operating profit of ¥221.4 billion, up 55.6%, helped by a weaker yen.
What are Astellas's main drugs?
Astellas's biggest product is Xtandi, a prostate cancer drug, which had first-quarter sales of ¥276.6 billion, up 19% (about 7% excluding currency effects). Its other "strategic brands" include Padcev for bladder cancer (¥75.5 billion, up 36%), Izervay for geographic atrophy, an eye disease (¥27.2 billion), Vyloy for gastric cancer (¥21.1 billion), Xospata for leukaemia (¥21.6 billion) and Veozah for menopausal hot flushes (¥14.9 billion). Padcev is developed in partnership with Pfizer. Xtandi faces price pressure in the second half of the year.
What is Astellas currently developing?
Astellas has filed Padcev in Japan and China and started a Phase III trial in bladder-sparing muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Enrolment of 500 patients in the Phase III LUCERNA study of Vyloy was completed 20 months ahead of schedule. It has opened Phase III enrolment for setidegrasib in non-small cell lung cancer, and started a Phase III study of ASP2138 in first-line gastric cancer. The company is also planning for a "pipeline-led inflection point" in 2029, when Xtandi sales are expected to begin declining.
Have there been any controversies involving Astellas?
The main controversy is a safety issue with Veozah (fezolinetant), its menopause treatment. On 12 September 2024 the FDA reported a case of serious liver injury in a patient who had taken the drug within 40 days of starting it. On 16 December 2024 it added a boxed warning, its most prominent type, and said liver blood tests must be done before treatment, monthly for three months, and at months 6 and 9. The patient recovered after stopping the drug. Veozah sales nevertheless grew 55% in the latest quarter.
Is Astellas publicly traded, and how big is it?
Yes. Astellas is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange under the code 4503. Its market value was about ¥4.34 trillion on 25 September 2026, with the shares at ¥2,399. In the first quarter of its 2026 financial year it reported revenue of ¥640.9 billion. It has a cost-cutting target of ¥200 billion cumulatively through 2030, as it prepares for the expected decline in Xtandi sales.