Taisho Pharma : Launch of the Transdermal Anti-inflammatory Analgesic Patch Formulation LOQOA® Tape(Taisho Pharmaceutical Holdings)

Launch of the Transdermal Anti-inflammatory Analgesic Patch Formulation LOQOA Tape

To Whom It May Concern:

January 20, 2016

Company Name: Taisho Pharmaceutical Holdings Co., Ltd. Head Office: 3-24-1, Takada, Toshima-ku, Tokyo Representative: Akira Uehara, President and CEO

(First Section of TSE: Code 4581)

Contact: Takashi Shibata, General Manager Corporate Communications

(Tel: [phone])

Launch of the Transdermal Anti-inflammatory Analgesic Patch Formulation LOQOA® Tape

Taisho Pharmaceutical Holdings Co., Ltd. has announced that its consolidated subsidiary Taisho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. ("Taisho Pharmaceutical") [Head Office: Toshima-ku, Tokyo, President: Shigeru Uehara] has decided to launch on January 21 the transdermal anti-inflammatory analgesic patch formulation LOQOA® Tape (generic names: S-flurbiprofen, mentha oil) for the indication and usage of "the treatment of osteoarthritis pain and inflammation."

In phase 3 clinical trials in which a flurbiprofen gel patch was administered as a control drug to patients with osteoarthritis of the knee joint, LOQOA® Tape as a patch formulation to be applied once a day was found to significantly improve the pain in the patients' knee joints when they stood up from a chair. In regard to the safety profile, a 52-week long-term drug administration study confirmed that LOQOA® Tape possesses good tolerability for patients with osteoarthritis.

The number of osteoarthritis patients in Japan is estimated to be 24 million for osteoarthritis of the knee joint and 35 million for lumbar spondylosis, with approximately 30% of these patients showing symptoms of pain, which is a major cause of a reduced quality of life (QOL). As a patch formulation, LOQOA® Tape possesses a powerful anti-inflammatory analgesic action, and there are high hopes of it providing a new treatment option for osteoarthritis.

LOQOA® Tape was co-developed by Taisho Pharmaceutical and Taisho Pharmaceutical Holdings Co., Ltd.'s consolidated subsidiary TOKUHON Corporation [Head Office: Toshima-ku, Tokyo; President: Jun-ichi Fukudome], and Taisho Pharmaceutical gained manufacturing and marketing approval for LOQOA® Tape in Japan.

LOQOA® Tape is marketed in Japan by Taisho Toyama Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. [Head Office: Toshima-ku,

Tokyo; President Ken-ichi Fujita] and Teijin Pharma Limited [Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Hiroshi Uno].

Through the manufacturing and marketing of LOQOA® Tape, a new treatment option for osteoarthritis, Taisho Pharmaceutical will continue taking steps to contribute to osteoarthritis treatment in the future, in tandem with promoting proper drug use.

The launch of LOQOA® Tape is not expected to have a significant impact on Taisho Pharmaceutical Holdings Co. Ltd.'s business results for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2016.

Product name	LOQOA® Tape
Generic name	S-flurbiprofen, mentha oil
Indication and usage	Treatment of osteoarthritis pain and inflammation
Dosage and administration	Apply to the lesion area once daily. Do not apply more than two patches simultaneously.
Date of approval	September 28, 2015 (Company that obtained manufacturing and marketing approval: Taisho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.)
Date of NHI drug price listing	November 26, 2015
Date of commencement of sales	January 21, 2016
NHI drug price	¥45.90 per 10 cm x 14 cm patch
Packaging	70 patches (7 patches x 10 packets)
Photograph of product

A summary of LOQOA® Tape is as follows. Product Overview