The deal – which is expected to complete by the end of December – will see Sekisui take control of EIDIA’s diagnostic reagents, diagnostic and laboratory equipment businesses. Eisai will retain all biomarker-related development programmes.
EIDIA has worked with Sekisui’s subsidiary – Sekisui Medical – on the development, production and sale of clinical diagnostics reagents to the pharmaceutical industry since 2007.
The firm employs 157 people all of whom are expected to transfer to Sekisui when the deal completes.
Eisai said the sale followed its decision to focus management resources on the pharmaceutical business, specifically on the development of oncology and neurology
The Tokyo-headquartered drugmaker said its continuing research in the field of diagnostics will be concentrated on its precision and personalized medicine development programmes.
Pipeline focus
Eisai's decision to refocus on cancer and central nervous system (CNS) drugs has already seen it reorganise this year.
In April the Japanese company said it planned to reduce the size of its US workforce by 25%.
At the time CVEO, Yuji Matsue, said the cutbacks would allow it to "redeploy our resources to support the development of our proprioty late stage compounds and our current product portfolio."
And in July Eisai agreed to sell its manufacturing campus in Research Triangle Park in the US to Biogen.