Tokyo, Japan, December 1, 2011 -- Eisai Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tokyo, President & CEO: Haruo Naito, "Eisai") announced today that its Canadian pharmaceutical sales subsidiary Eisai Limited (Location: Ontario, "Eisai Canada") held a ceremony on November 30 (local time in Toronto) to celebrate its official opening and entry into the Canadian healthcare marketplace.

Eisai Canada was established in Mississauga, Ontario, one of largest biopharmaceutical clusters and medical communities in North America, in April 2010 as Eisai's first pharmaceutical sales base for the Canadian market.

Having commenced fully-fledged operations earlier this year, Eisai Canada has already launched the antiepileptic agent Banzel™ as well as the chemotherapeutic implant Gliadel^® Wafer for the treatment of certain malignant brain tumors, and has filed a New Drug Submission (NDS) with the Canadian regulatory authorities for the anticancer agent Halaven^®, one of Eisai's major global products. From next year onwards, Eisai Canada also plans to submit NDSs for the AMPA receptor antagonist perampanel (generic name) and a range of other additional new products in the fields of oncology and neurology, Eisai's defined areas of global therapeutic focus, thereby expanding its Canadian product portfolio.

As part of the company's great globalization strategy set out in its mid-term strategic plan "HAYABUSA", Eisai seeks to establish a presence in each of the world's top 20 largest pharmaceutical markets, including Canada, by fiscal 2015 in an effort to achieve its objective of making contributions to more than 500 million patients worldwide. By enhancing its sales capabilities with the start of full-scale operations at Eisai Canada, Eisai will further expand its business in Canada, the world's ninth largest pharmaceutical market, and roll out marketing activities tailored to the needs of the local marketplace as its seeks to increase the benefits provided to patients and families throughout the country.