Japan's leading diversified materials manufacturer Nitto Denko Corporation (TOKYO:6988)(ISIN:JP3684000007) today announced the signing of a partnership agreement with global pharmaceutical company Daiichi Sankyo Company, Ltd. (hereafter "Daiichi Sankyo") that will utilize Nitto's proprietary PassPort® active transdermal drug delivery technology.

Based on this agreement, Nitto will provide exclusive rights to the PassPort® System for an undisclosed compound owned by Daiichi Sankyo and will support clinical development of the candidate in the United States. Nitto will be responsible for manufacturing the innovative transdermal patches and device components associated with the product. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The PassPort® System is designed to provide transdermal delivery of therapeutics that are typically limited to invasive and often painful injection or infusion methods. In addition to being convenient for both patients and caregivers, the Nitto’s technology aims to provide a new option for compounds with administration issues.

Going forward, Nitto will continue to accelerate the commercialization of its novel drug delivery system through the partnership agreement with Daiichi Sankyo.

Nitto's PassPort® Active Transdermal Drug Delivery Platform

The PassPort® System is a patented drug delivery platform that combines thermal microporation technology – to painlessly create micropores on the surface of the skin – with advanced drug patch technology. Unlike existing passive transdermal patches, the PassPort® System enables efficient delivery of a wide range of pharmaceuticals including small molecules, peptides, proteins, carbohydrates and oligonucleotides. The result is a novel technology for needle-free administration of drugs that are currently only available via injection or infusion.

The minimally invasive PassPort® System is able to control drug delivery by optimizing several parameters including the number of micropores, patch size and formulation. The system may be designed to produce either immediate or sustained delivery profiles that can mimic conventional injection products. Using a small handheld PassPort® device, patients are able to conveniently self-administer medication since it is easy to apply and the micropores are safely created within a few milliseconds.

Future Development

Using features of PassPort® System designed to maintain a steady drug concentration in the bloodstream and improve ease-of-use, Nitto plans to create new products for challenging compounds that are difficult to deliver using traditional routes of administration. In collaboration with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, Nitto will continue to contribute to customers’ value creation with innovative ideas in the life sciences area.

About Nitto

Founded in 1918, Nitto Denko Corporation is Japan’s leading diversified materials manufacturer and offers high-value-added products to various industries in the global market. Fully utilizing core technologies such as adhesion and coating, Nitto develops and manufactures transdermal patch products that allow pharmaceuticals to be absorbed through the skin and delivered systemically or to local target sites. Nitto’s products for the treatment of asthma and angina hold top prescription market share for commercial patches.

Transdermal patches have many advantages over alternative routes of administration and have been shown to improve patient adherence to medication, as well as reduce systemic side effects by maintaining a steady drug concentration in the bloodstream. Recognizing these benefits, Nitto established an active transdermal technology platform (PassPort® System) to further expand potential drug candidates for transdermal patch delivery and continue to create novel pharmaceutical products.

For additional information regarding the PassPort® technology, please visit: http://www.nitto.com/jp/en/press/2012/0425.jsp