Termination of marketing alliance of Breathe Right® nasal strips

GlaxoSmithKline K.K.
Eisai Co., Ltd.

GlaxoSmithKline K.K. (Head Office: Tokyo, President: Marc Dunoyer) and Eisai Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tokyo, President and CEO: Haruo Naito) announce that they have agreed to terminate their alliance to market Breathe Right® nasal strips, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline group and marketed in Japan by Eisai, as of 31 May 2008. As a result, GlaxoSmithKline K.K. will market the product in Japan from 1 June 2008.

Breathe Right® nasal strips contain plastic bands that improve nasal breathing. The reflex action of the two plastic bands embedded into the strips open nasal passages. The Breathe Right® series are appropriate for relieving nasal congestion such as at the turn of the season, when snoring is a problem and for increasing the amount of oxygen intake when playing sports.

Breathe Right® has been marketed in Japan by Eisai from October 2000. In December 2006, GlaxoSmithKline group acquired US-based CNS, which had been manufacturing Breathe Right®. Since then GlaxoSmithKline has been manufacturing the product for Japan and supplying it to Eisai. Following the expiration of the marketing alliance contract, it was decided after discussion between both companies that GlaxoSmithKline K.K. would market this brand in Japan.

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