Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America Announces More Than 3,500 ALS Patients In The U.S. Have Been Treated With RADICAVA® (edaravone)

JERSEY CITY, N.J., Feb. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America, Inc. (MTPA) this week marks its third anniversary with the announcement that more than 3,500 people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have been treated with RADICAVA(®) (edaravone) in the U.S.

RADICAVA is the only treatment option for ALS approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to slow the loss of physical function. More than 1,000 U.S. healthcare providers (HCPs) have prescribed the therapy to one or more of their patients since it became available in August 2017.

"MTPA was established in 2016 with the goal of making a difference in the lives of people with ALS and other difficult-to-treat diseases," said Atsushi Fujimoto, President, MTPA. "As our first product in the U.S., RADICAVA has embodied this commitment. As we celebrate our third anniversary we are humbled to work side-by-side with the ALS community and remain dedicated to helping as many people with ALS as we can."

An estimated 5,000-6,000 Americans are diagnosed each year with ALS.(1,2,3) The majority of ALS patients die within two to five years of receiving a diagnosis.(4)

About RADICAVA(® )(edaravone)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved RADICAVA(®) (edaravone) on May 5, 2017 as a treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).(5) In a pivotal clinical trial, people given RADICAVA experienced on average a 33 percent slower loss of physical function, compared to placebo as measured by the ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R), a validated rating instrument for monitoring the progression of disability in people with ALS.(5)(,6,7)

Edaravone was discovered and developed for ALS by Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation (MTPC) and commercialized in the U.S. by Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America, Inc. MTPC group companies began researching ALS in 2001 through an iterative clinical platform over a 13-year period. In 2015, edaravone was approved for use as a treatment for ALS in Japan and South Korea, and in 2018, the treatment received market authorization in Canada for the same indication.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Before you receive RADICAVA, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

    --  have asthma.
    --  are allergic to other medicines.
    --  are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if RADICAVA
        will harm your unborn baby.
    --  are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if RADICAVA
        passes into your breast milk. You and your healthcare provider should
        decide if you will receive RADICAVA or breastfeed.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

What are the possible side effects of RADICAVA?

    --  RADICAVA may cause serious side effects including hypersensitivity
        (allergic) reactions and sulfite allergic reactions.
    --  Hypersensitivity reactions have happened in people receiving RADICAVA
        and can happen after your infusion is finished.
    --  RADICAVA contains sodium bisulfite, a sulfite that may cause a type of
        allergic reaction that can be serious and life-threatening. Sodium
        bisulfite can also cause less severe asthma episodes in certain people.
        Sulfite sensitivity can happen more often in people who have asthma than
        in people who do not have asthma.
    --  Tell your healthcare provider right away or go to the nearest emergency
        room if you have any of the following symptoms: hives; swelling of the
        lips, tongue, or face; fainting; breathing problems; wheezing; trouble
        swallowing; dizziness; itching; or an asthma attack (in people with
        asthma).
    --  Your healthcare provider will monitor you during treatment to watch for
        signs and symptoms of all the serious side effects.

The most common side effects of RADICAVA include bruising (contusion), problems walking (gait disturbance), and headache.

These are not all the possible side effects of RADICAVA. Call your healthcare provider for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America, Inc. at 1-888-292-0058 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.

For more information, including full Prescribing Information and Patient Information, please visit www.RADICAVA.com.

About Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America, Inc.
Based in Jersey City, N.J., Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America, Inc. (MTPA) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation's (MTPC) 100 percent owned U.S. holding company, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Holdings America, Inc. MTPA is dedicated to delivering innovative products that address the unmet medical needs of patients in North America. It was established by MTPC to commercialize approved pharmaceutical products in North America with plans to expand its product line through collaborations with partners. For more information, please visit www.mt-pharma-america.com or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Overview of Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation
Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma, which was founded in 1678, has its headquarters in Doshomachi, Osaka, which is the birthplace of Japan's pharmaceutical industry. With business centered on ethical pharmaceuticals, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma is a well-established company and has the longest history of any listed company in Japan.(8) In accordance with the corporate philosophy of "contributing to the healthier lives of people around the world through the creation of pharmaceuticals," the Company formulated the key concept of Open Up the Future under the Medium-Term Management Plan 2016-2020. Through the discovery of drugs that address unmet medical needs, centered on its priority disease areas -- autoimmune diseases, diabetes and kidney diseases, central nervous system diseases, and vaccines -- Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma will strive to contribute to the health of patients around the world. MTPC is the parent company of MTPA and the license holder of RADICAVA. For more information, go to http://www.mt-pharma.co.jp/.

Media inquiries:
Debbie Etchison
908-340-8578
Media_MTPA@mt-pharma-us.com

(1) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - National Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Registry (April 25, 2017). Frequently Asked Questions - Questions About ALS. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/als/ALSFAQ.html.
(2) Marin B, Boumediene F, Logroscino G, et al. (2016). Variation in worldwide incidence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a meta-analysis. Int J Epidemiol, 00:1-18.
(3) National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Information Page. https://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/all-disorders/amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als-information-page. Accessed January 2019.
(4) Mehta P, Kaye W, Bryan L, et al. (2016). Prevalence of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis -- United States, 2012-2013. MMWR Surveill Summ; 65(No. SS-8):1-12.
(5) RADICAVA® U.S. Prescribing Information. August 2017.
(6) Simon N, Turner, M, Vucic S, et al.(2014). Quantifying Disease Progression in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Annals of Neurology, 76(5), 643-657. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ana.24273.
(7) The Writing Group on behalf of the Edaravone (MCI-186) ALS 19 Study Group (2017). Safety and efficacy of edaravone in well defined patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet Neurology. 16(7), 505-512. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(17)30115-1.
(8) Research by TOKYO SHOKO RESEARCH, LTD.

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SOURCE Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America, Inc.