January 25, 2005

Wyeth K.K.
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited

ENBREL^® to Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis Approved

OSAKA, JAPAN --- Wyeth K.K. and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited ("Takeda") announced today that ENBREL (etanercept) has been approved by the Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in patients who had an inadequate response to existing therapies. As announced earlier, the product will be co-promoted by both Wyeth K.K. and Takeda.

ENBREL is the only fully human, anti-TNF receptor approved to reduce the signs and symptoms of RA in patients who had an inadequate response to traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic medicines. The biological product can be used alone as a monotherapy and is administered twice weekly as a subcutaneous injection. Initially the product will be made available to medical institutions participating in an all-patient surveillance program.

"We are pleased with the approval decision. We will make ENBREL available to Japanese patients as soon as possible," said Rune Bremberg, President and Representative Director of Wyeth K.K.

"Following this approval decision, we hope we will be able to support RA patients by providing ENBREL as new treatment option under the co-promotion with Wyeth K.K.," said Yasuchika Hasegawa, President & COO of Takeda.

About ENBREL
ENBREL acts by binding TNF, one of the dominant inflammatory cytokines or regulatory proteins that play an important role in causing the inflammatory process of rheumatoid arthritis. The binding of ENBREL to TNF renders the bound TNF biologically inactive, resulting in significant reduction in inflammatory activity. Globally physicians have become familiar with the benefits and proven long-term profile of ENBREL. As of today, the product has been approved in more than 70 countries around the world, and has been used to treat more than 280,000 patients worldwide across various indications. Additionally, ENBREL binds to lymphotoxin (LT)-alpha, another cytokine involved in the inflammatory process of RA.

About Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic and potentially disabling disorder that affects about 700,000 people in Japan (1). The serious rheumatic disease causes the body's immune system to attack the lining of the joints, resulting in pain and swelling and may lead to fatigue, disability, deformity, organ damage, or premature death if not managed effectively. In RA, the immune system attacks the body's own healthy cells, mistaking them for cells that don't belong. This causes inflammation in the lining and connective tissues of the joints. Generally in Japan, the disease affects about four times as many women as men. RA can develop at all ages including childhood; in most cases it develops between the ages of 25 and 50.
  (*1) Source Japan Medical Association (JMA)

About Wyeth K.K.
Wyeth K.K. is engaged in a full range of business activities including developing, importing, manufacturing and marketing pharmaceutical products with the aim of becoming a leading company in the pharmaceutical industry in Japan. Our fundamental principle is to develop novel products that meet unmet medical needs and lead people to a healthier and happier life. In 1998 Lederle Japan, Ltd, founded in 1953, and Wyeth (Japan) Corporation, founded in 1957, merged to become Wyeth Lederle Japan Ltd (WLJ). In December 2003. WLJ changed its name to Wyeth K.K (WKK). WKK's major shareholders are Wyeth with 60 percent of equity and Takeda Chemical Industries, Ltd. with 40 percent respectively. Headquartered in Tokyo, WKK has more than 1,200 employees with manufacturing and R&D facilities located in Shiki city, Saitama Prefecture and business offices located in seven major cities covering Japan. For further details, please visit us at

About Takeda
Takeda, in its management plan, sets a course by which the company will become an "R&D-driven world-class pharmaceutical company". Takeda will make all the best efforts to enhance the R&D pipeline in selected core therapeutic classes such as
•lifestyle-related diseases
•cancer and urological diseases and gynecological disorders
•central nervous system disorders
•life-cycle management of drugs for digestive system disorders.Takeda is reinforcing our in-house R&D, promoting life cycle management, and actively introducing new products and form alliances in order to realize its management mission of "striving toward better health for individuals and progress in medicine by developing superior pharmaceutical products". See details at www.takeda.co.jp.

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