Ms Janette Wipper, a San Francisco-based partner at Sanford Heisler and lead attorney on the matter, said that, "Female pharmaceutical sales employees, including the Plaintiffs, have been cautioned against committing ‘career suicide' if they choose to have children while working for Daiichi Sankyo. Daiichi Sankyo's female sales reps have also been called ‘baby-makers' while pregnant, required to attend meetings in smoke-filled rooms during their pregnancies, and received suspect reductions in compensation after returning from maternity leaves.

Women who have dared to complain about the unequal treatment have been summarily ‘managed out' of the company. As a consequence of this company's continuous discriminatory conduct, the plaintiffs and the class are entitled to all legal and equitable remedies available for violations of these laws, especially much needed programmatic change within the company to ensure that going forward women, including women with children, are provided equal employment opportunities at Daiichi."

Ms Felicia Medina, senior litigation counsel, Sanford Heisler's San Francisco office, said that, "Daiichi Sankyo's systemic discriminatory actions span the gamut of prohibited employment practices. The company's behavior, as detailed in the complaint, reads like a primer on how not to treat female employees, particularly those who are pregnant or have caregiving responsibilities for infants.

Plaintiffs' experiences illustrate the lengths Daiichi Sankyo goes to ensure that women remain in their ‘place,' especially women who avail themselves of the company's so-called ‘flexible work schedule' when they are expecting a child or caring for their newborns."