Takeda posts full-year profit growth despite lower revenue

Takeda on Wednesday announced that its profit for the year ended March 31 climbed 43.4 percent versus the prior year to 114.9 billion yen ($1 billion). Meanwhile, revenue for the drugmaker fell 4.2 percent to 1.7 trillion yen ($14.9 billion). 

Takeda CEO Christophe Weber said "our impressive performance in FY2016 highlights the success of Takeda's strategic transformation," adding "our growth drivers maintained their strong momentum, and through revenue growth and disciplined expense management, we substantially increased our profit growth." 

Weber further remarked "I am confident that Takeda will continue to deliver profit and margin growth over the mid-term, and a strong pipeline in the long-term, as we continue to execute our transformation." Takeda expects earnings per share this year to jump by 20.1 percent to 177 yen ($1.55).