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 Dawani Group Holding (Head Office: Manama, Bahrain; Representative: Abdul Hussain Dawani), a major corporate group in Bahrain, following the basic agreement dated in February 2013 on establishing a new joint venture company for selling 5-ALA products in Bahrain.

The new joint venture company will take advantage of the know-how of both companies, SBI Pharmaceuticals and Dawani Group Holding, and discuss specific details of marketing activities for 5-ALA products in Bahrain. Our new partner, Dawani Group Holding, is a major distributor and manufacturer that has import companies and companies operating shopping malls in Bahrain under its umbrella, and has know-how in the retail business in the Middle East. SBI Pharmaceuticals will make every effort to expand sales of 5-ALA products in Bahrain and in other Middle East regions, through the joint venture company.

Overview of the joint venture company

Location: North Sitra Industrial Area, Bahrain

Business activities: Marketing and sales of 5-ALA products in the Kingdom of Bahrain

Paid-in capital: BHD 100,000 (Approx. JPY 25.32million *2)

Ownership ratio: SBI Pharmaceuticals: 50%, Dawani Group Holding: 50%

Directors: Both SBI Pharmaceuticals and Dawani Group Holding will dispatch one director, respectively.

(*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.

(*2)   Converted at JPY 253.2 per BHD (as of 19 March, 2013)

****************************************************************************************
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

Please download PDF File