Asia-Pacific Biopharma Sector Outperforms West Amid Currency Fluctuations

The biopharmaceutical and medical technology sectors in Asia-Pacific have reported strong growth, but the numbers are misleading due to currency fluctuations. The region's companies are growing at a faster rate than their Western counterparts, but this is largely due to the appreciation of local currencies against the US dollar.

Roche, for example, reported a 2% decline in sales at constant exchange rates, while Takeda saw a 10.2% rise in revenue at actual exchange rates, but a 0.5% fall at constant rates. This disparity is largely due to the yen's appreciation against the dollar.

Asian companies like Biocon and Samsung Biologics are benefiting from favourable currency conditions, while Western majors like Lilly and Novo Nordisk are struggling with pricing reforms in China and declining sales growth.