TAIPEI, Taiwan, R.O.C.--March 25, 2008--InnoPharmax, a specialty biopharmaceutical company based in Taipei, has signed two license agreements with SymBio Pharmaceuticals Ltd. for the sublicense rights to bendamustine hydrochloride and an anti-emetic transdermal patch in Taiwan.
 

SymBio, a Japanese specialty biopharmaceutical company based in Tokyo, in-licensed bendamustine HCl (SyB-0501) from Astellas Pharma GmbH, and holds the exclusive right for this antineoplastic agent in Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore and China. Based on good phase 1 data, SymBio initiated a phase 2 clinical study in Japan in December 2007 with rituximab-refractory patients having low-grade indolent non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). Cephalon, Inc., which holds the exclusive right to the US market, announced on March 20, 2008 the FDA approval of TREANDA (bendamustine HCl) for the treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) following fast track review under orphan drug designation. Cephalon also expects to receive a FDA decision on its NHL submission by the end of this year.
 

SyB-0701 is the second drug candidate in-licensed by SymBio, and is an anti-emetic patch to be used as an adjunct to cancer therapy. In Japan, SymBio has completed its Phase 1 study for SyB-0701, showing a similarity in the pharmacokinetic profile between Japanese and Caucasian subjects. In the US, Abeille Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Princeton, New Jersey-based company and the original licensor of SyB-0701, plans to initiate its Phase 3 study for the patch (under FDA Special Protocol Assessment) in April this year, with NDA filing expected in the first quarter of 2009.
 

Mr. Yoshida commented that he is very pleased “we have been able to realize this partnership with InnoPharmax, such an entrepreneurial company with an experienced, dedicated management team led by Dr. Hsu. This partnership will serve as the foothold of SymBio’s expansion plans in Asia Pacific in developing and delivering effective therapies to patients in cancer and hematology. SymBio and InnoPharmax share the same vision of addressing the suffering of patients due to the existence of unmet medical needs in Taiwan.”
 

"We are pleased to be partnering with SymBio in bringing new therapeutics for oncology indications to the marketplace" said CS Hsu, Ph.D., President for InnoPharmax. "The addition of SyB-0501 and SyB-0701 to our pipeline will strongly help InnoPharmax establish full coverage of development and marketing in oncology. With SymBio’s expertise in search and drug evaluation, we look forward to cooperating with SymBio for the expansion of development activities in the near future"
 

SymBio Pharmaceuticals Ltd. was established in March 2005 by Fuminori Yoshida, who previously served as both Corporate VP of Amgen Ltd. and President of Amgen Japan, with the corporate mission of addressing underserved therapeutic areas having high medical need in Japan, Taiwan and other Asia Pacific Rim countries. SymBio’s main focus lies in the development of drugs within three therapeutic areas: oncology, hematology and autoimmune disease. Through its proprietary in-house search and evaluation process and experienced management team having strong development expertise in biopharmaceuticals, SymBio is able to adopt unique strategies in the development of drug candidates in order to bring much-needed therapies to market as nimbly as possible.
 

InnoPharmax was established in 2005 by Dr. Hsu and Eva Hao due to their extensive R&D and Drug Development experience, and they lead a talented team which includes scientists who previously worked for the Medical and Pharmaceutical Industry Technology and Development Center in Taiwan. The Company’s Research and Development group is working in tandem with select universities and academic institutions on novel delivery vehicles with the aim of improving drug in-vivo performance, and is fully dedicated to conducting clinical research for new drugs in oncology and immunology in bringing clinical benefits to patients suffering from unmet medical needs.