Takeda's 9-mth profit jumps; outlook kept unchanged

TOKYO Feb 3 (Reuters) - Takeda Pharmaceutical (4502.T), Japan's largest drugmaker, said on Wednesday its nine-month recurring profit rose 45 percent despite a drop in sales, after it booked costs related to an acquisition in the same period a year ago.

Takeda posted a recurring profit of 369.26 billion yen ($4.08 billion) in April-December, up from 254.6 billion yen a year ago when it bought U.S. biotech firm Millennium Pharmaceutical and absorbed its part of a former U.S. joint venture TAP Pharmaceuticals.

Takeda saw its underlying drug sales hurt by the strong yen, as well as a sluggish economy and stiffer competition.

Japanese rival Astellas Pharma (4503.T) said on Tuesday its nine-month recurring profit fell 24 percent on the strong yen and tough competition.

Takeda kept unchanged its recurring profit forecast for the full year to March 2010 at 400 billion yen.

The company's forecast falls short of the market consensus of 418.3 billion yen, according to a survey of 17 analysts by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Prior to the announcement, Takeda shares rose 0.1 percent to 4,060 yen. The benchmark Nikkei 225 average .N225 rose 0.3 percent. (Reporting by Yumiko Nishitani; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)