Tanabe Seiyaku Company And Maruho Co., Ltd Conclude Licensing Agreement For Phosphodiesterase 4 Inhibitor, External Agent For Skin Disease

Tokyo, June 9, 2006 (JCN) - Tanabe Seiyaku and Maruho have jointly announced that they have entered into a licensing agreement for phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitor, a drug candidate for treating skin disease. Under the agreement terms, Maruho receives an exclusive right to develop and sell the agent in Japan. The PDE4 inhibitor, which was discovered by Tanabe Seiyaku, has a property of inhibiting the activity of inflammatory cells.