FibroGen Enters Agreement with Yamanouchi to License Erythropoietic
Small Molecule in Development for the Treatment of Anemia
South San Francisco, California - 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.
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Contact:
Laura Hansen, Ph.D.
Director, Corporate Communications
Phone: 650-866-7828
Fax: 650-866-7202
E-Mail: lhansen@fibrogen.com