TOKYO, August 31, 2016 -- Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (TOKYO: 4519) announced today that “Actemra^® 162mg Syringe for subcutaneous (SC) Injection” and “Actemra^® 162mg Auto-Injector for SC Injection” received “Accessible Package Design Award” at the JAPAN PACKAGING CONTEST 2016 which was held under the sponsorship of the Japan Packaging Institute.

JAPAN PACKAGE CONTEST is nation’s greatest and most influential contest in this field which is held every year aiming to promote development and spread high-quality packages and packaging techniques that meet requirements of the time and society. The year’s best packages are selected from various functions such as designs, ideas, and logistics etc.

Actemra SC injection was launched in May 2013 with the indication of “rheumatoid arthritis that does not respond sufficiently to one or more existing therapies including inhibition of structural joint damage.” In February this year, Chugai improved its Actemra SC injection device based on ideas from healthcare providers and patients. This new device was highly evaluated for its improvements in patient-oriented design, consequently, Actemra SC injection was awarded “Accessible Package Design Award” which appreciates products that improved functions of the packaging with excellent know-how.

<Improvements>

• Changed the syringe body part from glass into plastic form to prevent breakage
• Redesigned the syringe needle cap to firmly fit ones fingers and made it easier to open with less strength
• Improved the head of syringe design to prevent the needle bend when the needle cap is pulled

“Actemra is the first biologic drug for rheumatoid arthritis to adopt an auto-injector device in Japan which fully increases the benefit of SC injection. Since its launch, we have been committed to fulfill the demands for patient self-injection,” said Chugai’s Senior Vice President, in charge of pharmaceutical technology, Dr. Hitoshi Kuboniwa. “We feel honored to receive this award, which recognized our efforts and technology to develop a SC injection device which can be administrated more safely and easily.”

Chugai will continue to put the highest priority on patients in drug development under its business philosophy “Innovation all for the patients.”