Joint Clinical Research on Diabetes with Arabian Gulf University in Bahrain

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., which is engaged in research and development of pharmaceuticals, health foods and cosmetics using 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) (*1) has concluded an official contract with the Arabian Gulf University (AGU), following the basic agreement dated in January 2013 to start conducting a clinical research on diabetes with AGU in Bahrain.

According to a survey conducted by the International Diabetes Federation, the Middle Eastern countries, including Bahrain, account for a high percentage of diabetic patients, and therefore, with the conclusion of this contract, both parties will work on preparing to start the clinical research using 5-ALA at an early stage. In this clinical research, SBI Pharmaceuticals will provide a nutritional supplement containing key element of 5-ALA as an investigational drug, and AGU will lead and manage human resources, research facilities, participating hospitals and such, which are necessary for the clinical research in Bahrain.

We at SBI Pharmaceuticals and AGU will jointly establish a Clinical Research Executive Committee and, at the Committee, we will decide on specific details of the clinical research’s implementation plan and so forth.

SBI Pharmaceuticals will continue to work closely with the government of Bahrain in accommodating the needs of the country and advancing the business. As part of its global social responsibility, SBI we will endeavor to help people around the world stay healthy by further identifying the various possibilities of 5-ALA through pursuing R&D jointly with our partners inside and outside Japan.

Arabian Gulf University

A university with a medical center in Bahrain established by six Gulf Cooperation Council governments in 1981. It has the longest history in medical education in the region. The university is currently owned, financed and operated by six countries: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Bahrain. The French-Arabian Business School was also established in 2007.

(*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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