Naglazyme approved in Japan

Apr 1 2008

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. has announced that AnGes MG, Inc. (AnGes), BioMarin's marketing and distribution partner in Japan, has received approval for its Marketing Application for Naglazyme(R) (galsulfase) from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) for the treatment of patients with Mucopolysaccharidosis VI ( MPS VI).

"We are proud to work with AnGes in bringing the first drug treatment option to MPS VI patients in Japan," said Stephen Aselage, Senior Vice President of Global Commercial Development at BioMarin. "We are dedicated to providing life-altering therapies to patients around the world and continue to expand our geographic footprint through our patient identification and commercialization efforts."

BioMarin established a marketing and distribution agreement with AnGes in December 2006, through which AnGes obtained exclusive rights to market Naglazyme in the Japanese market. AnGes submitted a marketing application to the MHLW in August 2007. Naglazyme was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May 2005 and by the European Commission (EC) in January 2006. As the first drug approved for MPS VI, the FDA and EC have both designated Naglazyme as an orphan drug, conferring seven years of market exclusivity in the United States and 10 years of market exclusivity in the European Union. In addition, Naglazyme obtained orphan designation in June 2007 from the MHLW in Japan.

About MPS VI

MPS VI (also known as Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome) is a debilitating, life- threatening genetic disease caused by a deficiency of the enzyme N- acetylgalactosamine 4-sulfatase. This enzyme deficiency leads to the accumulation of certain complex carbohydrates, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), in the lysosomes, giving rise to progressive cellular, tissue and organ system dysfunction. The majority of individuals with MPS VI die from disease-related complications between childhood and early adulthood. Additional information can be found at http://www.mpsvi.com/.

About Naglazyme

Naglazyme is the first and only enzyme replacement therapy indicated for the treatment of MPS VI. Naglazyme is indicated for patients with MPS VI. Naglazyme has been shown to improve walking and stair-climbing capacity.

The most common adverse events observed in clinical trials in Naglazyme- treated patients were headache, fever, arthralgia, vomiting, upper respiratory infections, abdominal pain, diarrhea, ear pain, cough, and otitis media. Severe reactions included angioneurotic edema, hypotension, dyspnea, bronchospasm, respiratory distress, apnea, and urticaria. The most common symptoms of infusion reactions included fever, chills/rigors, headache, rash, and mild to moderate urticaria. Nausea, vomiting, elevated blood pressure, retrosternal pain, abdominal pain, malaise, and joint pain were also reported. No patients discontinued for adverse events and all patients who completed the double-blind portion of the trial continued to receive weekly infusions of Naglazyme. Nearly all patients developed antibodies as a result of treatment, but the level of the immune response did not correlate with the severity of adverse events. Because antihistamine use may increase the risk of apneic episodes, evaluation of airway patency should be considered prior to the initiation of treatment. Consideration to delay Naglazyme infusion should be given when treating patients who present with an acute febrile or respiratory illness. Additional information can be found at http://www.naglazyme.com/