Hisamitsu America Inc. is among many U.S. subsidiaries of Japanese companies that have set up shop over the years in Torrance, a popular enclave for Japanese expatriates.

But instead of automobiles or electronics, its parent company Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co. sells transdermal pain relief patches under the brand name SalonPas. And its U.S. unit has taken a light-hearted approach to promoting its product via a viral ad campaign on YouTube.

The company hired Sid Milburn, a Honolulu TV station executive with an uncanny resemblance to President Barack Obama, to star in a series of Oval Office parodies. Milburn, who calls himself FakeObama for impersonation gigs, is shown slapping on a SalonPas whenever presidential duties became a pain in the neck.

“We started exporting SalonPas to Hawaii in 1951 and came to California in 1987, but we still need to be better known here,” said Yoshi Ayabe, Hisamitsu America’s vice president. “An important part of our promotion is giving samples of SalonPas to celebrities, and while we haven’t been able to meet President Obama in person we thought this would be a humorous alternative.”

While several companies also market medicated transdermal patches, Hisamitsu America, with an estimated $19 million in sales last year, emphasizes its status as the only over-the-counter patch of its kind to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. In 2009 it bought Novem Pharmaceuticals Inc., a Miami developer of prescription medicine patches with products in clinical trial, to expand its business beyond the over-the-counter market.

Eastern Expansion

A trio of health care–focused companies announced acquisitions last week on the heels of strong fourth quarter earnings reports. RadNet Inc., which beat analysts’ forecasts by 5 cents a share, said that it was acquiring five diagnostic imaging centers in Maryland from Diagnostic Health Corp.

North Hollywood’s IPC The Hospitalist Company Inc., which beat Wall Street expectations by 3 cents a share, entered into an agreement with Northeast Hospital Corp. to provide services at two Massachusetts hospitals. IPC operates hospital-based physician practices.

LTC Properties Inc., bought four skilled nursing facilities in Texas. The Westlake Village REIT reported fourth-quarter revenue that beat Wall Street forecasts, though its 49 cents per share funds from operations, a REIT metric, was a penny lower than expected.

Staff reporter Deborah Crowe can be reached [email protected] or at (323) 549-5225, ext. 232.