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˶ Announces Establishment of New Pharmaceutical Marketing Subsidiary in Belgium

˶ Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tokyo, President & CEO: Haruo Naito) announced today that the Company established its pharmaceutical marketing subsidiary, ˶ SA/NV in Belgium. ˶ SA/NV is owned by ˶ Europe Limited (Headquarters: London, President: Yutaka Tsuchiya).

Serving as the regional sales hub for Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg), which is the sixth largest market in the EU, ˶ SA/NV will start marketing activities in all three Benelux countries hereafter with the focus on the anti-epileptic drugs Zonegran® and Inovelon®, as well as the non-opioid severe chronic pain agent Prialt®. In addition, ˶ SA/NV plans to start co-promotion of its Alzheimer's disease treatment Aricept® in Belgium and Luxembourg with its co-promotion partner.

˶ plans further expansion of its business operations across Europe and will undertake “Independent Marketing” activities by using their own sales and marketing personnel, tailored for each county. ˶ SA/NV is the Company's ninth marketing subsidiary in Europe, and brings the total number of countries where ˶ undertake sales and marketing operations through its own distribution channels to 17, including; the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Ireland, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Portugal, Iceland, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

Through stable provision of ˶'s products, further enabled by the establishment of new subsidiaries and branches, ˶ is committed to increasing patient value and fulfilling the diverse needs of patients and their families throughout Europe.

[Company Outline]

Company Name : ˶ SA/NV
Establishment Date : September 10, 2007 (Local Time)
Capital : 7 million Euros (approx. 1,100 million yen)
Location : Brussels, Belgium
Operations : Promoting the sale of pharmaceutical products

Contacts:

Corporate Communications Department
˶ Co., Ltd.

+81-3-3817-5036