News Release

31/3/2009
Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

Tokyo, Japan - March 31, 2009
Taiho Pharmaceutical CO., LTD. (Headquarters: Tokyo, President: Toru Usami) has entered into a license agreement with PharmaMar SA (Headquarters: Madrid, General Manager: Luis Mora) covering the development and commercialization of "Yondelis®", an antitumor compound, for the Japanese market. "Yondelis®" is a novel antitumor agent of marine origin discovered in the tunicate Ecteinascidia turbinata.

With this agreement, Taiho receives a license to develop and commercialize Yondelis® in Japan, and PharmaMar receives an initial payment, as well as future payments in addition to royalties on sales in Japan. All development and marketing costs of Yondelis® in Japan will be covered by Taiho.

PharmaMar General Manager Luis Mora
"We are very pleased to license our lead product to Japan’s leading company in oncology. Japan accounts for about 11 percent of the world’s sales in oncology and we are convinced that in Taiho, we have found a partner who is fully committed to bring Yondelis® to this important market in a timely manner. We believe that Yondelis® will be an important contribution to the treatment of cancer patients in Japan and we will continue building on successful partnerships in order to make our novel antitumor agents available worldwide."

Taiho Pharmaceutical Co President Toru Usami
"We are very pleased to establish a partnership with PharmaMar, the world leader company of marine-derived biopharmaceuticals. We believe that Yondelis® will contribute to the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma, one of the intractable cancers where the patients’ needs have not yet been met, and also to the treatment of Japanese cancer patients including ovarian cancer."

Yondelis® (trabectedin) is a novel antitumor agent of marine origin discovered in the tunicate Ecteinascidia turbinata. Yondelis® binds to the minor groove of DNA, interfering with cell division, genetic transcription processes and the DNA repair machinery In September 2007, it received marketing authorisation from the European Commission as a therapeutic agent for advanced or metastatic soft tissue sarcoma. In 2008, registration dossiers were submitted to the EMEA*1 and FDA*2 for administration in combination with a pegylated liposomal doxorubicin for the treatment of relapsed ovarian cancer. Phase-II clinical trials are also ongoing for breast cancer, hormone-refractory prostate cancer, and lung cancer.

*1 EMEA (European Medicines Evaluation Agency)

*2 FDA (Food and Drug Administration)

PharmaMar is a subsidiary of the Zeltia Group (Spanish Stock Exchange symbol: ZEL), and a world leader biopharmaceutical company committed to advancing the treatment of cancer through the discovery and development of new marine-derived medicines. In addition to Yondelis®, PharmaMar has three more marine-derived compounds in its pipeline: Aplidin®, Irvalec®, and Zalypsis® in various stages of clinical development. Zeltia Group has been quoted on the Spanish Stock Exchange since 1963, and is based in Madrid, Spain.