Eisai Enters Agreement to Transfer Its Research Triangle Park Campus to Biogen

Deal Supports Strategic Directions of Both Companies and Expands Collaboration

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Jul 16, 2015, 09:15 ET

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., July 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Eisai Inc., the U.S. pharmaceutical subsidiary of Eisai Co., Ltd., today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to transfer ownership of its Research Triangle Park (RTP) manufacturing campus to Biogen Inc. This arrangement expands upon the capacity-sharing manufacturing alliance Eisai and Biogen have had in place at the RTP facility since early 2013.

Under this new agreement, Biogen will continue to manufacture oral solid-dose products for Eisai. In addition, Eisai has entered into a new manufacturing agreement whereby Biogen will manufacture Eisai's parenteral products. The property ownership transfer comprises all buildings on the campus. The parenteral facility will be transferred immediately upon closing of the transaction and the oral solid-dose facility will be transferred after the expiration of an existing short-term lease. As part of this arrangement, Eisai anticipates approximately 100 employees will be offered employment at Biogen, effective upon deal closing.

While Eisai's manufacturing footprint is changing, the company remains committed to having supply chain and manufacturing capabilities in the United States. Eisai will continue to base its global partnership management, quality assurance, supply chain and business support staff in North Carolina to manage a seamless supply chain. These functions will remain on the current RTP campus for a six-month transition period until Eisai has secured new office space. In addition, the company will continue to manufacture product at its facility in Baltimore, MD.

"The decision to transfer ownership of the RTP campus is part of a global supply chain initiative to optimize Eisai's logistics strategy in support of our long-term business objectives," said Lou Arp, general manager of the Eisai RTP site and president of the Global Oncology Manufacturing Unit for Eisai Inc. "Eisai and Biogen have had a successful alliance for a number of years. We share a patient-centric culture and have compatible values on how we perform our work. This arrangement is a natural fit and complementary to both companies, ensuring the state-of-the-art RTP facility operates at a higher capacity and jobs stay in North Carolina."

"Our mission is to provide high-quality medicines to patients whenever and wherever they need them," said Esther Alegria, senior vice president of Global Manufacturing for Biogen. "Eisai's campus, technology and exceptional staff are a perfect fit to support the strategic growth of our global drug supply network, providing us with greater independence and control, expanding our manufacturing capabilities and ensuring that we can meet future demand for our marketed products and pipeline successes."

The closing of the transaction is subject to certain regulatory approvals.

Eisai Inc.
At Eisai Inc., human health care is our goal. We give our first thoughts to patients and their families, and helping to increase the benefits health care provides. As the U.S. pharmaceutical subsidiary of Tokyo-based Eisai Co., Ltd., we have a passionate commitment to patient care that is the driving force behind our efforts to help address unmet medical needs. We are a fully integrated pharmaceutical business with discovery, clinical, manufacturing and marketing capabilities. Our key areas of commercial focus include oncology and specialty care (Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy and metabolic disorders). To learn more about Eisai Inc., please visit us at www.eisai.com/US.

Eisai Inc. has affiliates that are part of a global product creation organization that includes R&D facilities in Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, as well as a global demand chain organization that includes facilities in Maryland and North Carolina. Eisai's global areas of R&D focus include neuroscience; oncology; metabolic disorders; vascular, inflammatory and immunological reaction; and antibody-based programs.

Eisai Co., Ltd.
Eisai Co., Ltd. is a leading global research and development-based pharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan. We define our corporate mission as "giving first thought to patients and their families and to increasing the benefits health care provides," which we call our human health care (hhc) philosophy. With over 10,000 employees working across our global network of R&D facilities, manufacturing sites and marketing subsidiaries, we strive to realize our hhc philosophy by delivering innovative products in various therapeutic areas with high unmet medical needs, including oncology and neurology.

As a global pharmaceutical company, our mission extends to patients around the world through our investment and participation in partnership-based initiatives to improve access to medicines in developing and emerging countries. For more information about Eisai Co., Ltd., please visit www.eisai.com.