Teijin Pharma Limited, the core company of the Teijin Group's medical and pharmaceutical business, announced today that Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare approved TMX-67 (febuxostat), Teijin Pharma's novel drug for treating hyperuricemia, on January 21. Teijin Pharma will market the product as tablets in 10mg, 20mg, and 40mg strengths in Japan under the brand name Feburic(r) beginning this spring.

TMX-67, a highly potent oral drug taken once daily, is the world's first non-purine selective inhibitor of xanthine oxidase. It has a novel chemical structure completely different from that of allopurinol, which has been used for over 40 years as the standard treatment for hyperuricemia. TMX-67 is the first drug indicated for treatment of hyperuricemia with or without symptoms (e.g. gout, hypertension, etc.) in Japan. It effectively lowers the level of uric acid in the blood of hyperuricemic patients to the recommended level of less than 6.0mg/dL, and is well tolerated by patients suffering from mild to moderate renal impairment without any dose adjustment.

TMX-67 has strong global potential as one of Teijin Pharma's most promising products. It already is marketed by licensees in the U.S., Canada, France, the U.K., Germany, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Austria. Collaborative efforts to broaden TMX-67's availability in other markets are being pursued.

Teijin Pharma expects to achieve global annual sales of over 100 billion yen for TMX-67 in the foreseeable future. In Japan, the number of patients with hyperuricemia is estimated to be around 16 million.

Source:
Teijin Pharma Limited
Teijin Group