Six countries have approved edaravone for ALS treatment Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation (MTPC) (Head Office: Osaka; President & Representative Director, CEO: Masayuki Mitsuka), announced today that Edaravone was approved by National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for an intravenous treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Development (Beijing) Co., Ltd. that is MTPC?s R&D subsidiary in China has filed it, and Tianjin Tanabe Seiyaku Co., Ltd. that is MTPC?s manufacture and sales subsidiary in China will market Edaravone. Edaravone was approved for use as a treatment for ALS in Japan, June 2015, followed by South Korea, U.S., Canada and Switzerland. With China's approval, Edaravone has been approved by six countries. ALS is an idiopathic neurodegenerative disease in which motor neurons selectively degenerate and vanish. Muscle strength declines throughout the entire body, including the limb, facial, and respiratory muscles, and muscular atrophy progress. While the cause for the majority of cases is not well understood but may involve genetic and environmental factors. It is one of the most well-known neuromuscular diseases, affecting approximately two in 100,000 people worldwide. As many as 20,000 or 30,000 people are estimated to be affected by ALS in China. Edaravone is a free-radical scavenger that was discovered by MTPC. It is thought that edaravone has the effect of scavenging free radicals, which increase in ALS, protecting motor neurons from oxidative stress, and delaying the decline in muscle strength and the progress of muscular atrophy. MTPC will strive to deliver edaravone to patients fighting against ALS all over the world. Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation Corporate Communications Department Media contacts: TEL:+81 6 6205 5119 Investor contacts: TEL:+81 6 6205 5110 1/2 <Reference> ? About edaravone Edaravone is a free-radical scavenger that was discovered by Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma. It was approved by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in April 2001 as a treatment agent for the acute stage of cerebral infarction. In Japan, it is being marketed under the product name RADICUT . Edaravone has the effect of scavenging free radicals that arise accompanying cerebral ischemia, controlling the lipid peroxidation reaction, and protecting neurons in the region of the ischemia and the surrounding region. Accordingly, it is thought that edaravone has the effect of scavenging free radicals, which increase in ALS, protecting motor neurons from oxidative stress, and delaying the decline in muscle strength and the progress of muscular atrophy. ? About Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Development (Beijing) Co., Ltd. Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Development (Beijing) Co., Ltd. is a wholly-owned subsidiary founded by MTPC in Beijing, China, in 2006. The company is engaged in self-promoted clinical development aimed at receiving marketing approval of pharmaceuticals in China. As a key base of the MTPC group in China, it promotes business in China by developing new drugs and receiving their approval in the country, thereby seeking to enhance MTPC's corporate value. ? About Tianjin Tanabe Seiyaku Co., Ltd. Tianjin Tanabe Seiyaku Co., Ltd. was founded in Tianjin, China, in 1993 through joint financing from Tianjin Lisheng Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and MTPC. The company is engaged in the manufacture and sales of pharmaceuticals in China. As a core company of the MTPC group in China, the company seeks to contribute to medical needs in China through the manufacture and sales of high quality? pharmaceuticals with the MTPC brand, particularly drugs