Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. said Monday it will voluntarily recall an anti-inflammatory drug touted effective for a variety of conditions ranging from chronic bronchitis to sprained ankles because recent tests have cast doubt on its efficacy even though it has been on the market for more than 40 years.
Double-blind experiments comparing the effects of the drug Dasen, which debuted in 1968, and placebos showed no significant differences between the two, the major drugmaker said.
Sales of the product, generically called serrapeptase, totaled ¥6.7 billion in fiscal 2009, but the impact of the recall will likely be limited because similar drugs are being sold on the market, it said.