Announcement of an Agreement for the Co-Promotion of an immunosuppressant Imuran®Tablets 50 mg

Kissei Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Aspen Japan K.K

Kissei Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Head office: Matsumoto-city, Nagano, Chairman and CEO: Mutsuo Kanzawa; "Kissei") and Aspen Japan K.K. (Head office: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Chairman: Shingo Iwamoto; "Aspen Japan") have announced a co-promotion agreement for Imuran^® Tablets 50 mg, an immunosuppressant (with azathioprine as active pharmaceutical ingredient). Aspen Japan is the authorized marketing holder of the product in the country and the co-promotion takes effect in January 2017.

Under the terms of the agreement, both parties will jointly perform promotion activities for Imuran^® Tablets 50 mg to medical institutions and other organizations. Aspen Japan will continue to oversee the manufacturing, marketing, and distribution of this product.

Imuran^® Tablets 50 mg is a 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) product with an immunosuppressive effect. The active pharmaceutical ingredient, azathioprine, is rapidly converted into 6-MP in vivo and inhibits nucleic acid synthesis to produce immunosuppressive effect. Azathioprine has been used for the prevention of rejection in renal transplants for over 30 years. It is also widely used for the treatments of inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease and treatment-resistant rheumatic diseases.

The partnership will enable Kissei and Aspen Japan to further enforce and enhance activities to provide Imuran^® Tablets 50mg product information and to contribute to improving the Quality of Life (QOL) of more patients.


《Imuran^® Tablets Product Summary》
Brand Name: Imuran^® Tablets 50mg
Generic Name: Azathioprine
Indications: 1. Prevention of rejection in the following transplants:
　　　　　　　Renal transplants, hepatic transplants, cardiac transplants, and lung transplants
　　　　　　2. Remission induction and remission maintenance of steroid-dependent Crohn's disease,
　　　　　　　remission maintenance of steroid-dependent ulcerative colitis
　　　　　　3. Following treatment-resistant rheumatic diseases:
　　　　　　　Systemic vasculitis (such as microscopic polyangiitis, Wegener's granulomatosis,
　　　　　　　polyarteritis nodosa, Churg-Strauss syndrome, and aortitis syndrome),
　　　　　　　systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), polymyositis, dermatomyositis, scleroderma,
　　　　　　　mixed connective tissue disease, and refractory rheumatoid disease.
Marketed by: Aspen Japan K.K.
* Please see the package insert for details.

《About Kissei Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.》
Kissei is a Japanese pharmaceutical company with approximately 70 years of history. Based on our management philosophy,"contributing to society through high-quality, innovative pharmaceutical products"and"serving society through our employees", Kissei is concentrating on providing innovative pharmaceuticals to patients worldwide as a strongly R&D-oriented corporation. Kissei is engaged in drug discovery and licensing activities in the field of nephrology/dialysis, urology, metabolism/endocrinology, ophthalmology, and obstetrics/gynecology, and also working on the research and development of a new disease area.

《About Aspen Japan K.K.》
As a Japanese subsidiary of Aspen (Head office: South Africa), a global pharmaceutical company providing products to more than 150 countries worldwide, Aspen Japan launched its business in July 2015 and started marketing products Aspen acquired from major global pharmaceutical companies in Japan. Additionally, Aspen Japan K.K. launched two authorized generic drugs in 2016 and will continue to focus on providing mainly essential medicines that are highly required in Japan.