SBI Holdings, Inc.

SBI Holdings, Inc. (“the Company”) has founded SBI ALApromo Co., Ltd. (“SBI ALApromo”), a preparatory company that develops and markets medicines, cosmetics, and health food containing amino acid “5-aminolevulinic acid” (5-ALA) as an active ingredient.

“5-ALA” is a natural amino acid that might appear 3.6 billion years ago and some foods such as red wine and radish sprouts contain it abundantly. It is known to contribute to production of chlorophyll, which is essential for photosynthesis in plants, and in case of animals to vitamin B12, blood constituents and intracellular energy production. “5-ALA” is widely accepted as an extremely important and essential molecule over species.

Recent advance in “5-ALA” research revealed its usefulness in medical field. In Europe and the U.S., photodynamic diagnosis (PDD) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) using “5-ALA” have already been put to practical use in fields such as intraoperative diagnostic agents for identification brain and bladder tumors during surgery and treatment agents for skin cancer. In the agriculture field, fertilizers containing “5-ALA” are already commercially available both abroad and at home, with its usefulness increasingly recognized.

Focused on the usefulness of “5-ALA” in a wide variety of fields, SBI ALApromo aims to develop and produce medicines, cosmetics, and health foods containing “5-ALA”.

SBI group sees biotechnology as a growth industry of the 21st century along with IT, environment and energy, thus we invests and develops bio-ventures in the form of venture capital funds. On the other hand, SBI Biotech Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of SBI group, found its way into drug development business last year, expanding its operational presence in the biotechnology field. The Company group will strive to contribute further to the growth of the domestic biotechnology market through more direct involvement in bio-venture development.

<Profile of SBI ALApromo Co., Ltd.> (as of April 24, 2008)

(1) Name: SBI ALApromo Co., Ltd.
(2) Representative: Yoshitaka Kitao
(3) Date of Foundation: April 14, 2008
(4) Location: 1-6-1, Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
(5) Capital: ¥50 million (Capital Reserve: ¥50 million)
(6) Investment Ratio: 100% by SBI Holdings, Inc.
(7) Business: Development and distribution of medicines, cosmetics, and health foods containing “5-ALA,” a type of amino acid, as an active ingredient.
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