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FibroGen Enters Agreement with Yamanouchi to License Erythropoietic Small Molecule in Development for the Treatment of Anemia
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South San Francisco, CA - September 24, 2004 FibroGen, Inc., has entered into an agreement with Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., to license FG-2216, a FibroGen-developed erythropoietic small molecule that is undergoing clinical development as a treatment for patients with anemia. Under this agreement, FibroGen provides Yamanouchi exclusive rights to develop and market FG-2216 and certain other FibroGen compounds with a similar mechanism of action for the treatment of anemia in Japan. FibroGen retains rights in the rest of the world, including North America and Europe. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. FG-2216, a small molecule that stimulates the body's natural process of erythropoiesis, is expected to become the first drug in the world that can be administered orally for the treatment of anemia. In Japan, it is estimated that 400,000-500,000 of the nearly 1,200,000 chronic kidney disease patients are anemic. At present, anemia is treated by erythropoietin (EPO) replacement therapy using recombinant EPO administered by subcutaneous or intravenous injection. In Japan, the market for recombinant EPO products for the treatment of anemia associated with chronic kidney disease alone is estimated to be over $1 billion. Other indications for which recombinant EPO is approved in the United States, such as chemotherapy-induced anemia, have not yet been approved in Japan. A safe and effective oral therapy could provide an important treatment approach for anemia patients. About FibroGen FibroGen, Inc., is a biotechnology-based drug discovery company using its expertise in the fields of tissue fibrosis and hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) biology to discover, develop, and commercialize novel therapeutics for fibrotic disorders, anemia, ischemic disease, cancer, and other areas of unmet medical need. FibroGen also develops and produces recombinant human collagens and gelatins using unique production technology that provides the basis for FibroGen's proprietary cosmetic dermal filler and biomaterials supply business. More information concerning FibroGen can be found on its Web site at www.fibrogen.com. Contact: " |
