Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. Announces Start Of Phase 3 Clinical Program In The U.S.of Fixed Dose Combination Product Of Actos(R) + TAK-536for Treatment Of Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Associated With Hypertension

Tokyo, Japan, July 21, 2006 - (JCN Newswire) - Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (“Takeda”) announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary, Takeda Global Research & Development Center, Inc., has started the phase 3 clinical program of fixed dose combination product of Actos(R) (generic name: pioglitazone HCl) and Takeda’s novel investigational drug TAK-536 in the U.S.