OSAKA/TOKYO -- Second-tier Japanese drugmakers are chasing growth in Southeast Asia as the region's economic development fuels demand for brand-name drugs to treat such ailments as diabetes and high blood pressure.
Lifestyle diseases are growing more common in Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and other countries in the region as incomes rise. In Thailand, the obesity rate among adults age 18 and older has risen 7 percentage points over two decades to 10% in 2016.
