SBI HOLDINGS, INC. 
By Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited and The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited take no responsibility for the contents of this announcement, make no representation as to its accuracy or completeness and expressly disclaim any liability whatsoever for any loss howsoever arising from or in
reliance upon the whole or any part of the contents of this announcement.
SBI HOLDINGS, INC.(Incorporated in Japan with limited liability)
(Stock code: 6488) OVERSEAS REGULATORY ANNOUNCEMENT
This announcement is made pursuant to Rule 13.09(2) of the
Rules Governing the Listing of Securities on
The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited.
Please refer to the attached copy of the Announcement.
On behalf of the Board SBI Holdings, Inc. Yoshitaka Kitao
Chief Executive Officer
Japan, 29 February 2012
As of the date of this announcement, the executive Directors are Mr Yoshitaka Kitao, Mr Taro Izuchi, Mr Takashi Nakagawa, Mr Kenji Hirai, Mr Tomoya Asakura, Mr Takashi Okita, Mr Noriaki Maruyama, Mr Shumpei Morita, Mr Shinji Yamauchi, Mr Makoto Miyazaki, Mr Yoshimi Takahashi and Mr Masaki Takayanagi, the non-executive Directors are Mr Yasutaro Sawada, Mr Hiroyoshi Kido, Mr Noriyoshi Kimura and Mr Hiroshi Tasaka and the independent non-executive Directors are Mr Masaki Yoshida, Mr Kiyoshi Nagano, Mr Keiji Watanabe, Mr Takeshi Natsuno and Mr Akihiro Tamaki.
February 29, 2012
SBI Holdings, Inc. (TOKYO: 8473 / Hong Kong: 6488)
SBI ALApromo Co., Ltd., (head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo;
Representative Director and CEO: Yoshitaka Kitao; "SBI
ALApromo"), a subsidiary of SBI Holdings, Inc., that conducts
research and development of cosmetics, health foods and
pharmaceuticals using 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)*1, hereby
announces that it has obtained First-class Marketing
Authorization to conduct business as a pharmaceutical
company.
Also, as the SBI Group positions the ALA-related businesses
as a future growth area, this occasion will be taken to
restructure its corporate organization.
The current SBI ALApromo will change its corporate name to
SBI Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. (tentative, hereinafter
"SBI Pharma") on April 1 this year, to operate as a
pharmaceutical firm whose function will be the research and
development of medicines, while a new company, SBI ALApromo
Co., Ltd. (tentative, hereinafter "the new SBI
ALApromo), will be established as a distributor company to
expand cosmetics and health food sales. Also, the shares of
each company will be transferred to a newly-established ALA
Business Management Company. Under the new organizational
structure, where both SBI Pharma and the new SBI ALApromo
will be focused on their respective businesses, every effort
will be made to further enhance the development of the
ALA-related businesses, as well as the development of an
overseas business.
SBI Pharma, in collaboration with Nobelpharma Co., Ltd., is
promoting the introduction into Japan of a diagnostic agent
for the surgical removal of malignant glioma (active
ingredient: 5-aminolevulinic acid hydrochloride; hereinafter
"the diagnostic agent" *2). This diagnostic agent received an
orphan drug designation from the Ministry of Health, Labour
and Welfare, and the enrollment for a phase-3 clinical
testing has been completed in Japan. Going forward, SBI
Pharma will actively promote the business of developing new
medicines.
SBI Holdings, Inc.
ALA Business Management Company
