Takeda Chemical Industries Ltd. reported Friday a record first-half profit, powered by robust sales of its four mainstay drugs.

The nation's top drug maker, based in Osaka, said net profit for the April-September period rose 5.1 percent to 140.55 billion yen. Sales were up 3.5 percent to 547.25 billion yen.

The firm has posted record first-half net profit and sales for five consecutive years.

Overseas sales, which account for 43 percent of the total revenue, rose 14.8 percent to 235 billion yen.

The company attributed the better-than-expected first-half to the continued strength of its four strategic prescription drugs, including the hypertension drug Blopress and diabetes treatment Actos, both in Japan and overseas.

The four drugs racked up 290 billion yen in worldwide sales during the six-month period, compared with 247 billion yen a year earlier.

The sales absorbed the negative impact of a stronger yen against the dollar and the decline in revenue stemming from the sale of its agrichemical division last year.

For the full year to March 31, the company expects a net profit of 266 billion yen on sales of 1.07 trillion yen.

Sankyo does well, too

The nation's No. 2 drug maker, Sankyo Co., said the same day that its first-half net profit rose 5.3 percent to 23.83 billion yen. Revenue grew 2.9 percent in the period to 296.47 billion yen.

The company said robust growth in the bulk export of its antihyperlipidemia drug Mevalotin offset the decline in sales of the drug in Japan, where it has faced competition from generic brands since the patent expired in October 2002.