Tokyo, Japan, April 18, 2011 --- Teijin Pharma Limited, the core company of the Teijin Group's medical and pharmaceutical business, announced today that it has recently signed exclusive distributorship agreements with licensees in Turkey, Mexico and the Caribbean and Middle East and North African (MENA) regions for the expanded global marketing of TMX-67 (febuxostat), a novel drug developed by Teijin Pharma for the treatment of hyperuricemia and gout.

TMX-67, one of Teijin Pharma's most promising products, is expected to generate annual global sales of over 100 billion yen in the foreseeable future. The drug already is marketed by licensees in the U.S., Canada, France, the U.K., Germany, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Austria. Collaborative efforts with licensees in Korea, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other EU countries are aimed at launching the drug in these markets as well.

For Turkey, a distributorship agreement was signed on March 7 with the Italian group Menarini, which has been already marketing TMX-67 under the brand name ADENURIC in Europe since March 2010 under marketing rights granted by licensee Ipsen. The commercial launch in Turkey is expected not earlier than 2013.

For Mexico and Caribbean countries including Dominican Republic and Jamaica, an agreement was signed on April 7 with Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America (TPNA), which has been already marketing the drug under the brand name ULORIC in the U.S. as the licensee since March 2009. Commercial launches in these new markets are expected in 2012 or later. TPNA now holds exclusive marketing rights to TMX-67 in 18 countries in this region.

For the MENA region, Teijin Pharma signed on April 7 an agreement with Algorithm SAL of Lebanon, a pharmaceutical company involved in the development, manufacturing, promotion and sales of products in the region, including in-licensing and marketing agreements for drugs from Japan, the U.S. and Europe. Algorithm now has exclusive marketing rights to TMX-67 in 16 MENA countries, including Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Commercial launches are expected in 2012 or later.

TMX-67, developed by Teijin Pharma after intensive research, is an oral, once-daily, highly potent, non-purine selective inhibitor of xanthine oxidase. It has a novel chemical structure completely different from that of allopurinol, which has been used for over 40 years as the standard treatment for hyperuricemia and gout. TMX-67 effectively lowers the level of uric acid in the blood of hyperuricemic patients to the recommended level, and is well tolerated without need for dose adjustment in patients suffering from mild to moderate renal impairment.