Tokyo, Japan, February 13, 2024 — Teijin Limited and Axcelead, Inc. jointly announced today that they have decided to name their drug discovery research joint venture “Axcelead Tokyo West Partners, Inc.” (“Axcelead TWP”), which is scheduled to be established and commence its operations on April 1, 2024,.

Axcelead TWP’s business will include supporting drug discovery-related activities from target selection to the discovery of candidate compounds and related research activities. Axcelead TWP  aims to grow as a comprehensive drug discovery support service provider by tapping into demand from drug discovery players in Japan and overseas, leveraging the strengths of its solid foundation based on the drug discovery expertise, knowledge, technologies and assets held by Teijin and Axcelead.

In promoting its business, Axcelead TWP  will work closely with Axcelead Drug Discovery Partners, an integrated drug discovery CRO (contract research organization) affiliated with Axcelead, to meet the needs of diverse drug discovery players and provide high-quality solutions.

This basic agreement, which accords with Axcelead’s concept of co-creating drug discovery platforms, responds to the global trend of horizontal specialization in non-clinical research and new forms of outsourced research.

Teijin and Axcelead will proceed with preparations for the establishment of Axcelead TWP and the start of its operations.

【Overview of the Joint Venture】

Name of the company	Axcelead Tokyo West Partners, Inc.
Head Office	4-3-2 Asahigaoka, Hino-shi, Tokyo
Date of establishment and commencement of business	Scheduled on April 1, 2024
Investment Status	Axcelead, Inc. 51% Teijin Limited 49%

About the Teijin Group

Teijin (TSE: 3401) is a technology-driven global group offering advanced solutions in the fields of environmental value; safety, security and disaster mitigation; and demographic change and increased health consciousness. Originally established as Japan’s first rayon manufacturer in 1918, Teijin has evolved into a unique enterprise encompassing three core business domains: high-performance materials including aramid, carbon fibers and composites, and also resin and plastic processing, films, polyester fibers and products converting; healthcare including pharmaceuticals and home healthcare equipment for bone/joint, respiratory and cardiovascular/metabolic diseases, nursing care and pre-symptomatic healthcare; and IT including B2B solutions for medical, corporate and public systems as well as packaged software and B2C online services for digital entertainment. Deeply committed to its stakeholders, as expressed in the brand statement “Human Chemistry, Human Solutions,” Teijin aims to be a company that supports the society of the future. The group comprises some 170 companies and employs some 20,000 people across 20 countries worldwide. Teijin posted consolidated sales of JPY 1,018.8 billion (USD 7.6 billion) and total assets of JPY 1,242.4 billion (USD 9.2 billion) in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023.

Please visit www.teijin.com

About Axcelead

Axcelead represents a holding company as healthcare platformer which owns a group of companies which are developing a world-class healthcare platform for drug discovery. Axcelead DDP, Japan’s first integrated drug discovery CRO, functions as the core company of the Axcelead group that took over Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited’s drug discovery platform business in 2017. ARCALIS has become Japan’s only one-stop mRNA contract drug development and manufacturing organization (CDMO).

Axcelead also owns A-Digital which develops a drug discovery digital platform to increase drug discovery efficacy by 100 times, and the American company, PassPort Technologies, Inc. in San Diego, California (“PassPort”). PassPort is a company that develops combination products of active pharmaceutical ingredients and medical devices based on next-generation transdermal drug delivery technology. Axcelead will promote the drug discovery ecosystem in Japan and will make various contributions to healthcare broadly and globally.

For more information on Axcelead, please visit the company’s website at https://www.axcelead-hd.com

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