SBI Holdings, Inc.
SBI Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd.
SBI Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. (Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and CEO: Yoshitaka Kitao; “SBI Pharmaceuticals”), a subsidiary of SBI Holdings, Inc., engages in research and development of pharmaceuticals, health foods and cosmetics using 5-aminolevulinic acid (“5-ALA”)*. We are pleased to inform you that we at SBI Pharmaceuticals have obtained a patent in Japan for a prophylactic and/or therapeutic agent for malaria, consisting of the active ingredient alaremycin or a derivative thereof or a pharmacologically allowable salt thereof.
The patent was filed jointly with the Tokyo Institute of Technology (main campus: Meguro-ku, Tokyo; President: Yoshinao Mishima).
Patent number: 5669111
Name of discovery: Antimalarial drug comprising alaremycin or derivative thereof as active ingredient
Patent owner: SBI Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., Tokyo Institute of Technology
Filing date:November 9, 2011
Alaremycin is a type of antibiotics and it prevents the growth of malaria parasites by reducing energy production in the mitochondria. The Tokyo Institute of Technology and SBI Pharmaceuticals predicted a new mechanism of action of antimalarial drugs based on the function of the existing antimalarial drugs and demonstrated that alaremycin shows antimalarial activity as predicted. The patent acquired this time is related to this mechanism.
SBI Pharmaceuticals will continue to pursue various potential applications of 5-ALA, and focus on research and development to provide pharmaceuticals that satisfy the unmet medical needs of as many people as possible around the world.
* 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 heme and cytochromes, and its productivity is known to decrease with age. 5-ALA is contained in food such as shochu distillation remnants and red wine. It is also known as a material forming chloroplasts in plants.
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For further information, please contact:
SBI Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd.: Corporate Planning Dept., Tel: +81 3 6229 0095
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