Japan’s Towa saw 4.6% growth in domestic sales in the first nine months of FY21, on the back of new launches, as the coronavirus pandemic had only a “minor” effect on its business. But while the firm’s launch schedule for new products remains unaffected so far, the company pointed out that there may be slight delays in product development plans going ahead.

After a strong first quarter, Japan’s Towa Pharmaceuticals saw stability in its domestic revenues but a drop in revenues from its overseas business in its financial second quarter. After launching a series of molecules in June 2020, the company has lined up 10 launches for December 2020 as well. 

As the global generics industry had predicted, the unexpected growth seen in the first quarter of 2020 due to forward buying caused by COVID-19 levelled off in the second quarter. However, a few companies managed to report a “mixed” second quarter or a positive first half for 2020, even after experiencing challenges, such as operational interruptions, posed by the pandemic.

Second-quarter earnings results from two of the Big Three – Teva and Mylan – hold much of the intrigue in August, while more competition in the nascent Avastin biosimilar market could materialize in Europe.