SBI Holdings, Inc.
SBI Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd.

We are pleased to inform you that SBI Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. (Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and CEO: Yoshitaka Kitao; “SBI Pharmaceuticals”), a subsidiary of SBI Holdings, Inc., engaged in research and development of pharmaceuticals, health foods and cosmetics using 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) (*1), has reached a basic agreement to cooperate in promoting the 5-ALA business in Bahrain with the Bahrain Development Bank (Location: Manama, Bahrain; Representative: Shaikh Mohammed Bin Essa Bin Mohammed Al Khalifa) that is engaged in providing business support to small- and medium-sized companies under the umbrella of the Bahrain government.

The Bahrain Development Bank is a governmental financial institution in Bahrain and was established in 1992 for promoting the business projects of small- and medium-sized companies in Bahrain.

SBI Pharmaceuticals is currently working with various partners, including local universities, research institutions and private companies, as it prepares for the research and development of pharmaceuticals which use 5-ALA and for manufacturing and selling 5-ALA related products; and it will promote the research and development as well as the manufacturing and sales of pharmaceuticals which use 5-ALA, while relying on local legal and financial advice and support from the Bahrain Development Bank. SBI Pharmaceuticals is hoping to further accelerate the expansion of its 5-ALA business in Bahrain, with the cooperation of the Bahrain Development Bank obtained by this basic agreement.

SBI Pharmaceuticals will continue to cooperate closely with the Bahrain government in promoting the business, while pursuing various possibilities of 5-ALA in order to contribute to the health of as many people in the world as possible, and will make every effort to work on research and development as well as on spreading 5-ALA related products with partners both inside and outside Japan.

(*1)  5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA): An amino acid created in mitochondria. It is an important substance that serves as protein material related to energy production in the form of hemes and cytochromes, and its productivity is known to decrease with age. 5-ALA is contained in shochu distillation remnants, red wine and food such as radish sprouts. It is also known as a material forming chloroplasts in plants.

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For further information, please contact:
SBI Holdings, Inc.: Corporate Communications Dept., Tel: +81 3 6229 0126
SBI Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd.: Corporate Planning Dept., Tel: +81 3 6229 0095

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