EISAI JOINS WIPO SPONSORED GLOBAL CONSORTIUM FOR NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Eisai Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tokyo, President & CEO: Haruo Naito, “Eisai”) announced today that it has joined WIPO Re:Search, a new global consortium established on October 26 (local time in Geneva, Switzerland) and sponsored by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) with the aim of supporting research and development for neglected tropical diseases. Eisai is the only Japanese pharmaceutical company to become a member of the consortium.

WIPO Re:Search is a new consortium sponsored by WIPO in partnership with non-profit organizations, research institutions and pharmaceutical companies with the objective of improving health in developing countries, including least developing countries. Eisai and other member organizations will voluntarily provide intellectual property and expertise under royalty-free licenses with global research community to promote development of new drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics to treat neglected tropical diseases, malaria and tuberculosis. By sharing such information via a public database managed by WIPO, the consortium aims to facilitate new partnerships with organizations to spur the development of new treatment.

As a member of WIPO Re:Search, Eisai has provided information on seven candidate compounds, including a compound that shows potential as a treatment for leishmaniasis, an infectious disease that is endemic in developing countries. In addition, the company will also provide funds to support the consortium's initiatives to promote research and development activities by user organizations.

Eisai, as a human health care (hhc) company, is implementing many different initiatives as part of a multi-targeted approach to improving global access to medicines. The company believes that the key to achieve this goal is partnership with public organizations, which is essential for fostering sustainable healthcare solutions. Through participation in the WIPO Re:Search consortium, Eisai seeks to address global unmet medical needs and contribute to an even greater number of patients.

Eisai's Commitment to Improving Global Access to Medicines

Today, it is estimated that some 2.7 billion^*people live on US$ 2 or less per day. Most of these 2.7 billion people do not have access to essential health care and treatment despite the availability of effective medicines. This is an international challenge that needs to be solved through collaborations among governments, international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), non-governmental organizations, and pharmaceutical companies.

In line with its human health care (hhc) mission, Eisai is committed to improving global access to medicines over the medium-to-long term through partnership strategies that involve working with governments, international organizations and private entities. As part of these efforts, the company has agreed to provide the medicine diethylcarbamazine (DEC) free of charge to the WHO in support of its program to eliminate the neglected tropical disease lymphatic filariasis, and is engaged in a research collaboration with an international non-profit foundation to develop the new drug E1224 (ravuconazole) for the treatment of Chagas disease, an infectious disease that is endemic in areas such as Latin America. For more information on these initiatives, please visit the Access to Medicines page on the Eisai Global website: https://www.eisai.com/company/atm/index.html

^*Source: World Bank (2005)

[ Please refer to the following notes for information about NTDs and WIPO Re:Search ]

According to WHO, neglected tropical diseases blight the lives of more than 1 billion of the world's poorest 2.7 billion people. There are 149 countries and territories where neglected tropical diseases are endemic, at least 100 of which are endemic for 2 or more of these diseases, and 30 countries that are endemic for 6 or more. These diseases not only survive and spread in conditions of poverty, they also anchor large populations in poverty. Neglected tropical diseases can cause blindness and deform in ways that hinder economic productivity and cancel out chances for a normal social life. They can maim, debilitate, and kill. The consequences are costly for societies and for health care.

WIPO Re:Search was established in October 2011 with the mission of accelerating the discovery and development of medicines, vaccines, and diagnostics to develop new solutions for people affected by neglected tropical diseases, malaria, and tuberculosis by making intellectual property and know-how available to the global health research community. The diseases targeted by WIPO Re:Search are those listed by WHO as neglected, and also include tuberculosis and malaria. By providing a searchable, public database of available intellectual property assets, information, and resources, WIPO Re:Search facilitates new partnerships with organizations that conduct research on treatments for NTDs, malaria, and tuberculosis.

Membership in WIPO Re:Search as a user, provider, or supporter is open to all organizations that endorse, adhere to, and support the project's Guiding Principles. These Guiding Principles include the commitment that IP licensed via WIPO Re:Search will be licensed on a royalty-free basis for research and development of medicines for NTDs, malaria, and tuberculosis in any country and on a royalty-free basis for sale of such medicines in, or to, least developed countries. To learn more about WIPO Re:Search, visit its website:www.wipoReSearch.org.

Providers

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, California Institute of Technology, Center for World Health & Medicine, Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, Eisai, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), GlaxoSmithKline, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Medicines for Malaria Venture, MSD (MSD is a trade name of Merck & Co., Inc., with headquarters in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, USA), Novartis, PATH, Pfizer, Sanofi , South African Medical Research Council, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, University of California, Berkeley, University of Dundee, U.S. National Institutes of Health

Potential Users

Center for World Health & Medicine, Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, Emory University, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), iThemba Pharmaceuticals, Medicines for Malaria Venture, Sabin Vaccine Institute, South African Medical Research Council, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, San Francisco, University of Dundee

Supporters

Association of University Technology Managers, Indian Council for Medical Research, International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA), Kenya Medical Research Institute, Licensing Executive Society International, Mahidol University, South African Medical Research Council, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office