Suntory buys Daiichi Sankyo unit

Suntory is buying Daiichi Sankyo Healthcare in a 246.5 billion yen deal, pushing the Japanese drinks group deeper into over-the-counter medicine and self-care. (daiichisankyo.com) Both companies announced the agreement on April 15, 2026. Daiichi Sankyo said it will sell 100% of the unit in stages, starting with 30% of the shares in June 2026 and completing the transfer by June 2029. (daiichisankyo.com) The business being sold is the consumer-health arm behind Japanese brands including Lulu cold remedies, Loxonin pain medicine, Minon skincare and Clean Dental oral-care products. Suntory said the unit has a strong position in Japan’s over-the-counter drug market and is also expanding in skincare, oral care and food products. (suntory.com) Suntory is best known for beer, whisky, soft drinks and health foods, and it said the acquisition would let it build a broader “self-care” business that runs from prevention to treatment. The company pointed to existing wellness products such as Sesamin EX, Locomore, Tokucha and Goma Mugicha as part of that strategy. (suntory.com) Daiichi Sankyo framed the sale as a capital-allocation move. It said the company will shift management resources toward innovative pharmaceuticals, especially oncology, where it has been increasing research spending and revenue. (daiichisankyo.com; daiichisankyo.com) That focus has become more visible in the numbers. Daiichi Sankyo’s research and development spending reached 436.0 billion yen in fiscal 2024, while full-year revenue rose to 1.8863 trillion yen and operating profit to 331.9 billion yen. (daiichisankyo.com) The unit being sold is much smaller than the parent but still sizable. Daiichi Sankyo Healthcare posted net sales of 76.049 billion yen and net income of 8.997 billion yen for the year ended March 31, 2025, according to the company’s disclosure. (filingreader.com) The deal also reflects a split that has become sharper in Japanese healthcare: branded consumer remedies on one side, expensive prescription-drug research on the other. Suntory gets established pharmacy brands and direct-to-consumer channels; Daiichi Sankyo gets cash and a cleaner focus on drug development. (suntory.com; daiichisankyo.com) If the staged transfer stays on schedule, Suntory will spend the next three years turning a cold-medicine-and-skincare portfolio into a new growth pillar, while Daiichi Sankyo leans harder into cancer-drug research. (daiichisankyo.com; suntory.com)