Hoechst To Boost Asian Pharma Sales

Germany's chemical/pharmaceutical major Hoechst is to undertake a massive strengthening of its presence in Asia over the next five years, with the aim of increasing group sales in this region by some 20%. This would take current group sales of 5 billion Deutschemarks (1995) to 15 billion marks ($10.1 billion) by the year 2000.

Pharmaceutical sales - the primary target of the new strategy - are to increase so as to raise market share in the main area of activity - Japan - from 3.14% at present to at least 5%. Horst Waesche, board member responsible for Asia, said recently in Tokyo that investment in the period to 2000 would reach 2.5 billion marks, of which 1 billion marks would be spent in China, 800 million marks in India and 700 million marks in the more important Asian countries.

Following the acquisition of Marion Merrell Dow, the pharmaceuticals operation in Asia has been reorganized and regrouped within the newly-formed Nippon Hoechst Marion Roussel Ltd. Its president, Marc Dunoyer, said the integration of Hoechst's and Roussel's drug sector activity in Japan had cut costs by some 140 million marks. The workforce will be reduced to 1,300 by the end of the century and sales are to increase to 200 billion yen ($1.83 billion) from the current level of 160 billion yen.