Mitsui & Co., Ltd. ("Mitsui", Head Office: Tokyo, President and CEO: Kenichi Hori) has agreed with Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Osaka, Japan; Representative Director, President and CEO: Hiroshi Nomura) to acquire all shares in Sumitomo Pharma Animal Health Co., Ltd. ("Sumitomo Pharma AH"), a Japanese animal health company. Sumitomo Pharma AH leverages its advanced product development capabilities accumulated as a subsidiary of a pharmaceutical manufacturer to develop, manufacture, and sell veterinary medicines for companion animals and livestock, especially in Japan.

Currently worth over ¥4 trillion, the global market for medicines and vaccines used in the animal health field is growing by 4% annually, against the backdrop of a steady increase in demand for protain and the expansion of companion animal populations, especially in emerging countries. The Japanese animal health market is the sixth largest in the world. In addition to firm growth in the Japanese livestock market, longer life spans for dogs, cats, and other companion animals, as well as an increasing tendency to treat these animals as family members generate a 8% annual growth rate, contributing significantly to the overall growth of the animal health market. Sumitomo Pharma AH, which has a robust nationwide network, is helping to meet increasingly sophisticated needs in this market while engaging in product development activities.

Mitsui has identified the animal health business as a focus area. It established the Nutrition & Agriculture Business Unit in 2016 and invested in Ceva Santé Animale SA, the world's fifth-ranked animal health company in France, in 2020, and in the Brazilian company Ouro Fino Saúde Animal Participações S.A. in 2022.

Using Sumitomo Pharma AH as a business base in Japan, Mitsui will accelerate the introduction of foreign products and product and license exporting. In addition to these activities, Mitsui will also contribute to the growth of the global animal health industry by creating synergies with its wide-ranging business assets, including its animal nutrition business, and with its global networks.

Profile of Sumitomo Pharma AH

Manufacturing facilities for regenerative medicine (source: Sumitomo Pharma AH)

Products for companion animals (source: Sumitomo Pharma AH)