Astellas Pharma : Partners with Discovery Communications for its Global Branding Campaign (pdf 484KB)

Press Release

Astellas Partners with Discovery Communications for its

Global Branding Campaign

Tokyo, February 14, 2018 - Astellas Pharma Inc. (President and CEO: Yoshihiko Hatanaka, "Astellas") today announced the launch of a new global branding campaign centred on the company's commitment to corporate social responsbility and to the transplant community. The program features its involvement in the World Transplant Games 2017 which were held in Malaga, Spain.

In collaboration with Discovery Communications, the integrated campaign will run on Eurosport's and Discovery's platforms across Europe, Asia including Japan, and the United States.

A five-minute program - Director's Box - will be televised on Eurosport, featuring interviews with athletes, officials from the World Transplant Games Federation and Astellas' president and CEO, Yoshihiko Hatanaka, who said "Astellas expanded its collaboration with the World Transplant Games Federation through this programme to help people in its physical activity-focused programming to include providing transplant and organ donation communities with resources, research and advice regarding nutrition and physical activity post-transplant".

The program will highlight Astellas' collaboration with the World Transplant Games Federation and the Fit for Life! program, and how this initiative positively impacts the lives of transplant recipients. Launched last year, the Fit for Life! is a global program to help transplant recipients live full and active lives through ongoing physical activity and participation in organized sports.

The campaign will also enable Astellas to share its vision of turning innovative science into value for patients.on Eurosport and Discovery Channels globally in a one-minute television advertisement. The advert features Astellas' president and CEO and gives a unique glance into Astellas' laboratories including an interview with a company researcher. An abbreviated 30-second advert will also be published on digital channels.

Astellas is a key partner of the World Transplant Games Federation, which holds the World Transplant Games international sporting event for transplant athletes every two years.

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Please refer to the attached reference materials for the details of the commercial and the campaign.

About Astellas

Astellas Pharma Inc., based in Tokyo, Japan, is a company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products. We focus on Urology, Oncology, Immunology, Nephrology and Neuroscience as prioritized therapeutic areas while advancing new therapeutic areas and discovery research leveraging new technologies/modalities. We are also creating new value by combining internal capabilities and external expertise in the medical/healthcare business. Astellas is on the forefront of healthcare change to turn innovative science into value for patients. For more information, please visit our website athttps://www.astellas.com/en.

About Discovery Communications:

Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) satisfies curiosity and engages superfans with a portfolio of premium nonfiction, lifestyle, sports and kids programming brands. Reaching more than 3 billion cumulative viewers across pay-TV and free-to-air platforms in more than 220 countries and territories, Discovery's portfolio includes the global brands Discovery Channel, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Animal Planet, Science and Turbo/Velocity, as well as OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in the U.S., Discovery Kids in Latin America, and Eurosport, the leading provider of locally relevant, premium sports and Home of the Olympic Games across Europe. For more information, please visitwww.discoverycommunications.com.

Cautionary Notes

In this press release, statements made with respect to current plans, estimates, strategies and beliefs and other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements about the future performance of Astellas. These statements are based on management's current assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to it and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: (i) changes in general economic conditions and in laws and regulations, relating to pharmaceutical markets, (ii) currency exchange rate fluctuations, (iii) delays in new product launches, (iv) the inability of Astellas to market existing and new products effectively, (v) the inability of Astellas to continue to effectively research and develop products accepted by customers in highly competitive markets, and (vi) infringements of Astellas' intellectual property rights by third parties.

Information about pharmaceutical products (including products currently in development) which is included in this press release is not intended to constitute an advertisement or medical advice.

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Contacts for inquiries or additional information:

Astellas Pharma Inc.

Corporate Communications

TEL: [phone] FAX: [phone]

[Reference Material 1]

• 1. Director's Box

  ・Eurosport 1

  (Central European Time) *Subject to change

  ・21:45, March 3

  ・08:30, March 5

  ・23:00, March 7

  ・Eurosport Asia Pacific

  (Singapore Time) *Subject to change

  ・07:45, March 3

  ・16:55, March 5

  ・20:00, March 5

• 2. One minute television advertorial

  ・Eurosport 1, Europort 2 and Eurosport APAC (Feb. to Mar. 2018) ・Discovery Science US and Discovery Japan (Feb. to Mar. 2018) ・Discovery UK (Feb. 2018)

  *Posted on Astellas Library(https://www.astellas.com/en/news/astellas-library)in Astellas Global Website

  *Please refer to Reference Material 2 for other details of the commercial.

• 3. 30 second advertorial

  ・Eurosport web site(www.eurosport.com)(Feb. to Mar. 2018) ・Banner on Discovery Digital Networks (Feb. to Mar. 2018)

[Reference Material 2] Overview of 1 minute advertorial

Astellas brings expertise and hope to many patients around the world, to the transplant community.

"Astellas is proud to be associated with the World Transplant Games federation and its Fit for Life! Program…

…it encourages them to be as fit as they can be around their transplanted organs"

Dedicated to innovation, …

…Astellas encourages the best in science, attracting the best talent in the best research environment

"Our role as researchers is to improve their daily life and give them hope"

Providing a vision for a new future…

Astellas, Changing tomorrow