December 22, 2005
SymBio Pharmaceuticals Limited
Fuminori Yoshida
Representative Director, President and Chief Executive Officer
SymBio Pharmaceuticals Finalizes First Product for Development
SymBio Pharmaceuticals has recently finalized a license agreement withAstellas Pharma GmbH (Munich, Germany) for the exclusive development andmarketing rights of their antineoplastic agent, “bendamustine,” in Japan.
Since its establishment on March 25, SymBio has been actively conducting
negotiations with almost 70 bio-ventures and pharmaceutical companies for thepossible in-licensing of promising drug candidates, of which 49 were evaluatedunder a CDA, and eight finally selected: these eight are now in an advanced
stage of negotiations.
In Germany, bendamustine has been marketed for a number of years under thetradename RIBOMUSTIN with a Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) indication.
Astellas Pharma GmbH has granted development and marketing rights for thecompound in Germany to Ribosepharm GmbH. Cephalon Inc., licensed-in thecompound from Astellas Pharma GmbH for further development and marketingin North America, and is currently sponsoring phase III trials with indolent
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) patients who are refractory to Rituximab.
A recent publication with the results of phase II clinical trials has demonstrated
that bendamustine is a highly effective anticancer agent with less toxicity whencompared to other conventional chemotherapeutic drugs.
In Japan, the total number of patients suffering from NHL is estimated to be
5,000. SymBio will begin clinical development of bendamustine for Rituximab
refractory/relapsed indolent or transformed NHL in Japan in the 4Q of 2006. In
addition to this compound, SymBio is planning to acquire development rights toseveral other promising compounds, and is presently conducting negotiations
with several bio-ventures for this purpose; the current expectation is thatlicensing agreements for a second and third development product will be signedby the 3Q of 2007.

Our main focus in the therapeutic area of cancer continues to be haematologic
malignancies, and autoimmune disease. SymBio has addressed the developmentof therapeutics for serious illnesses affecting relatively small numbers ofpatients, with the underlying corporate mission of serving unmet medical needsby placing the needs of patients at the forefront. Bendamustine represents thefirst drug product licensed in by SymBio since its establishment, and is astarting point for full-scale business operations.
About SymBio Pharmaceuticals Limited:
SymBio Pharmaceuticals was established in March 2005 by Fuminori Yoshida, whopreviously served as both Corporate Vice President of Amgen Inc. and founding Presidentof Amgen Japan.
SymBio Pharmaceutical’s corporate philosophy is ‘Delivering Hope to Patients in Need,’
and the company aims to address unmet medical needs in Japan, regardless of limited
patient number, by cultivating a mutually beneficial, or symbiotic relationship among
physicians, scientists, regulatory agencies, and investors; the cornerstone of SymBio’s
business philosophy is that remaining both profitable and socially responsible as abio-pharmaceutical enterprise can go hand in hand.

About Astellas Pharma GmbH:
Astellas Pharma GmbH, Munich is the German subsidiary of Astellas Pharma Inc.,Tokyo,
Japan. In April 2005, Astellas Pharma Inc. was created through the merger of Yamanouchi
Pharmaceutical Co.,Ltd and Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. The organization iscommitted to becoming a global pharmaceutical company by combining outstanding R&D
and marketing capabilities with international expertise, thereby sustaining a phenomenal
growth rate and strong presence within the world pharmaceutical market. The four key
therapeutic areas which make up the core of drug development at Astellas Pharma GmbHare Transplantation, Urologic, Respiratory and Dermatologic treatments.
For further information, please contact:

SymBio Pharmaceticals LimitedMr. Ikuya Kudo,
Chief Financial Officer & Legal Affairs
Tel: +81 (0) 3 5472 1125
E-mail: Please send your inquiry through“INQUIRY” in our homepageURL: www.symbiosis.co.jp

Astellas Pharma GmbH, Munich, Germany
Dr G.F. Schneider,
Director Licensing & Sales
Tel: +49 (0) 89 4544 1268