Mumbai, 24th June, 2009 – Astellas Pharma India Private Limited (Astellas Pharma India) announced today its plan and commitment to enter the Indian market.

The subsidiary of the Japanese pharmaceutical company Astellas Pharma Inc. (Astellas) aims at establishing business with a capitalization of around JPY 320 Million in an Indian market through developing sales and marketing activities of in-house products.
Astellas with its global category leadership in Transplant and Urology plans to first introduce its flagship product Prograf which is the global leader among immunosuppressants used after organ transplantation.
Headquartered in Japan, Astellas is a global, research driven pharmaceutical company with more than 14,000 employees and robust sales & marketing organizations, manufacturing subsidiaries spread across the US, Europe, Asia and Japan.

Mr. Teruo Yasufuku, Managing Director, Astellas Pharma India, said, “We have a long commitment to India and share a solid relationship with this country. Our focus will be to deliver innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products for improving the health of people. We are confident that with this beginning we hope to succeed in long-term growth.”

Mr. Himanshu Dave, Director-Sales & Marketing, Astellas Pharma India said, India is one of the fastest growing pharmaceutical markets in the world. Driven by a huge patient base, increasing incomes, improving healthcare infrastructure and strong penetration of health insurance, the pharmaceutical market is expected to grow more than double its size in the next five years.”

He further added, “according to the RNCOS report, in near future, the potential and opportunities within this market will increase by several folds. The market, presently driven by over a billion population, an expanding GDP, and rapid epidemiological transitions, is expected to be the major player in the global pharmaceutical market both in terms of its large domestic market and also as a pharmaceutical export hub.

Astellas will provide innovative solutions to the patients with its globally benchmarked manufacturing facility and technically advanced research and development centre.
Astellas is aiming at further business expansion within Asia with its entry into the Indian market as a footing.

About Astellas:
Astellas Pharma Inc. (TSE:4503) located in Tokyo, Japan, is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products. In April 2005, the company was formed through the merger of Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. The organization is committed to becoming a global category leader by combining outstanding R&D and marketing capabilities and continuing to grow in the world pharmaceutical market. For more information on Astellas Pharma Inc., please visit our website at http://www.astellas.com/en/.
Astellas Pharma is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and Osaka Stock Exchange. In FY 2008, the company had sales of JPY 965 Billion.