Takeda Sees New Drugs Offsetting Patent Cliff on Blockbuster

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., the 236-year-old Japanese drugmaker in the midst of a revamp, expects new therapies to combat the potential hit from generic competition this year as the patent expires on one of its best-selling medicines.

Higher sales of new products such as Entyvio and Takecab for gastrointestinal diseases will help offset the impact as blockbuster treatment Velcade loses patent protection, Chief Executive Officer Christophe Weber said in Tokyo Wednesday.

Japan’s biggest drugmaker forecast a 20 percent rise in net income to 138 billion yen ($1.2 billion) for the year ending March 2018. That compares with the 131 billion yen ...