What should I know about Daiichi Sankyo?
Daiichi Sankyo is a Japanese pharmaceutical company headquartered in Tokyo, formed in 2005 from the merger of two older Japanese drugmakers, Sankyo and Daiichi. It is best known for cancer treatments called antibody-drug conjugates, which deliver chemotherapy directly to tumour cells, and for the blood thinner Lixiana (edoxaban). In the first quarter of its 2026 financial year (April to June 2026) it reported revenue of ¥574.7 billion, up 21.1%, though operating profit fell 12% to ¥85.1 billion after restructuring costs in its European specialty business.
What are Daiichi Sankyo's main drugs?
Enhertu, a breast cancer and tumour-agnostic treatment developed with AstraZeneca, is Daiichi Sankyo's biggest product. In the first quarter of its 2026 financial year, Enhertu sales were ¥239.8 billion, up 48.9%, and Datroway sales were ¥23.9 billion, up 176.4%. Lixiana is the main revenue driver of its Japan business, which had total revenue of ¥120.0 billion. Daiichi Sankyo raised its full-year forecast to revenue of ¥2.28 trillion to ¥2.34 trillion and operating profit of ¥315 billion to ¥320 billion.
What is Daiichi Sankyo currently developing?
Daiichi Sankyo's recent approvals include three new US breast cancer uses of Enhertu and a tumour-agnostic indication in the EU, plus first-line triple-negative breast cancer approvals for Datroway in the US and EU. The FDA has granted priority review to ifinatamab deruxtecan (I-DXd) for small cell lung cancer, with a decision date in October 2026. The company has also won China approval for Vanflyta in a form of acute myeloid leukaemia. It aims to win more than 20 new indications across five medicines by 2030.
Have there been any controversies involving Daiichi Sankyo?
Daiichi Sankyo's best-known controversy involves Ranbaxy, the Indian generics maker in which it bought a controlling stake in 2008. In May 2013 Ranbaxy's US subsidiary pleaded guilty to felony charges over manufacturing and distributing adulterated drugs and agreed to a $500 million settlement. Daiichi Sankyo said that Ranbaxy's former owners had concealed and misrepresented information about the US Justice Department and FDA investigations, and said it was pursuing its legal remedies against them.
Is Daiichi Sankyo publicly traded, and how big is it?
Yes. Daiichi Sankyo is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange under the code 4568. Trading Economics put its market value at about ¥5.09 trillion in October 2026. In the first quarter of its 2026 financial year it reported revenue of ¥574.7 billion, and it forecasts revenue of between ¥2.28 trillion and ¥2.34 trillion for the full year. Its growth has been driven largely by Enhertu and Datroway.