Eisai Opens for Business in the Netherlands

HATFIELD, England, January 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

- Epilepsy Treatment Zonegran(R) First Commercially Available Product

Eisai Europe Limited, a subsidiary of Eisai Co., Ltd (Headquarters: Tokyo; President and CEO: Haruo Naito) announces the establishment of its sales and marketing operation in its wholly owned subsidiary in the Netherlands based in Amsterdam. The first Eisai product on the Dutch market is the epilepsy treatment Zonegran (zonisamide).

Commenting on the opening of the new subsidiary, Eisai Netherlands Managing Director, Mr Gert-Jan Kouseband said: "Eisai's entry into the Netherlands is aligned with the company's wider strategy of establishing a solid foundation in Europe. We currently have one product on the market and hope to have five products available in the coming months, boosting our presence in the market. This will allow Dutch patients access to treatments not previously available to them and further supports Eisai's human health care (hhc) mission to satisfy unmet medical needs and contribute to the health and well being of people worldwide."

The Dutch company's initial area of focus is epilepsy and a dedicated Eisai team has already been established. Zonegran, an adjunctive treatment for adult patients with partial seizures, with or without secondary generalisation, is now available. It is estimated that 100,000 Dutch people suffer from epilepsy[1] and the availability of Zonegran in the Netherlands will provide an additional treatment option to help manage their condition. Epilepsy is a key strategic area for Eisai in Europe and the company is committed to developing and delivering highly beneficial new treatments to help improve the lives of people with epilepsy.

Eisai's commitment to establish a strong European presence is further seen by a GBP100m investment in the state-of-the art European headquartered in Hatfield, UK, which opened in 2009. The European Knowledge Centre acts as the hub for all of Eisai's European operations.

Notes to Editors

About Eisai Europe in Epilepsy

Eisai is committed to making further contributions to addressing the diversified needs and improving quality of life of patients with epilepsy. Eisai has three currently marketed treatments in Europe, these are:

    
    - Zonegran(R) (zonisamide)as adjunctive therapy in adult patients with
    partial-onset seizures, with or without secondary generalisation

    - Zebinix(R) (eslicarbazepine acetate) (under license from Bial - Portela
    & Ca, S.A in Europe) as adjunctive therapy in adult patients with
    partial-onset seizures, with or without secondary generalisation

    - Inovelon(R) (rufinamide) is an adjunctive treatment of seizures
    associated with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome

About Eisai

Eisai is one of the world's leading R&D-based pharmaceutical companies, that has defined its corporate mission as "giving first thought to patients and their families and to increasing the benefits health care provides," which we call human health care (hhc).

Eisai concentrates its R&D activities in three key areas:

    
    - Integrative Neuroscience: Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis,
    neuropathic pain, epilepsy, depression, etc

    - Integrative Oncology: Anticancer therapies; tumour regression, tumour
    suppression, antibodies, etc and Supportive cancer therapies; pain 
    relief, nausea, etc

    - Vascular/Immunological Reaction: Acute coronary syndrome,
    atherothrombotic disease, sepsis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, 
    Crohn's disease, etc

With operations in the U.S., Asia, Europe and its domestic home market of Japan, we employ more than 10,000 people worldwide, and reported consolidated sales of over GBP3.53 billion in FY2007, an increase of 8.9% year on year. In Europe, Eisai undertakes sales and marketing operations in over 20 markets, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Ireland, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Portugal, Iceland, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia.

For further information please visit our web site http://www.eisai.co.jp

References

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[1] Epilepsy Institutes of the Netherlands Foundation (SEIN) General Information Last accessed Jan 2011 http://www.sein.nl/sites/default/images/algemeen/EpilepsiecentrumSEIN_Engels_ def.pdf

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