October 23, 2009

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited

Blister card for Benet^® 17.5 mg tablets for the treatment of osteoporosis receives
the Good Design Award 2009
and the Japan Packaging Contest Appropriate Packaging Award

Osaka, Japan, October 23, 2009 – Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Osaka, Japan, “Takeda”) announced today that it has received the Good Design Award 2009^[*1] from the Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization for the blister card packaging for Benet^® 17.5 mg tablets, which is indicated for the treatment of osteoporosis. The packaging also received the Japan Packaging Contest Appropriate Packaging Award^[*2] from the Japan Packaging Institute in September this year.

Benet^® 17.5 mg tablets are a once-a-week formulation for the treatment of osteoporosis. They are packaged in blister card packaging, with one tablet per sheet, with the date for the tablet to be administrated indicated in large, bold letters on both sides of the packaging. It is hoped this will help prevent the misuse of medication among elderly, osteoporotic patients. In December 2008, the packaging was improved by making it easy to disassemble for disposal and adding a universal, Braille code.

Takeda is committed to developing excellent products as a research and development-driven pharmaceutical manufacturer. It strives to improve patient compliance through the prevention of missed dosing and misused medications by developing packaging and drug delivery mechanism that are convenient for patients and health-care professionals alike.

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<Advantages of Benet^® 17.5 mg tablets blister card>

• One-tablet-per-sheet blister card prevents the misuse and misprescription of medication
• Large space for recording prescribed date of administration for the tablet
• Large, bold fonts display instructions for use with key phrases highlighted in red
• Instructions for use provided in Braille
• Barcode for easier drug management
• Packaging easily disassembled for disposal

Note

[*1]
The Good Design Awards is a comprehensive program conducted by the Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization (JIDPO) for the enrichment of society through the promotion of excellence in design. JIDPO receives approximately 3,000 submissions from more than 1,000 companies and designers every year. These designs are screened by roughly 70 experts, who select and recommend designs worthy of a Good Design Award.

[*2]
The Japan Packaging Contest is held every year under the sponsorship of the Japan Packaging Institute with the aim of promoting development and spread of high-quality packages and packaging techniques throughout Japan. The contest is intended for determining the highest level of the Japan's current packaging technology. The year's best packages are selected from candidates submitted by a range of industries from food, pharmaceutical and medical, cosmetics, and electric equipment to daily necessities and general merchandise. Criteria considered include materials, concepts, techniques, logistics, sales promotions, environment and suitability among others.