Nxera Pharma is the New Name for Sosei Group

• New name expresses the Company’s vision to lead the next era of medicine – from Japan, for Japan, and by extension, to the world – and its mission to accelerate the development of life-changing medicines, by investing in science and technology
• Sosei Group and its subsidiaries, Heptares Therapeutics and Idorsia Pharmaceuticals Japan and Korea, have all been renamed under the Nxera Pharma brand

Tokyo, Japan and Cambridge, UK, 1 April 2024 – Nxera Pharma Co., Ltd. (“Nxera” or “the Company; TSE 4565) – formerly known as Sosei Group or Sosei Heptares – is pleased to announce the launch of its new company name, having received approval at the 34^th Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders held on 27 March 2024. The Company’s new website can be found at www.nxera.life  

The Group name and those of its subsidiaries have changed as follows:

Chris Cargill, President & CEO of Nxera Pharma, commented: “Our name change from Sosei Group to Nxera Pharma marks a pivotal moment in our Company’s journey. It follows the significant growth and development of the business, which has been accelerated through several key strategic acquisitions in recent years, including Heptares Therapeutics in 2015 and the Idorsia Pharmaceuticals Japan and Korea businesses in 2023. These acquisitions have transformed the business into an integrated, technology powered, commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on accelerating the development of life-changing medicines for patients in Japan and globally, by investing in science and technology.

“The Company decided that now is the optimal time to unify the business under a new name and bold brand. The name ’Nxera’ derives from the words ‘Next’ and ‘Era’ and our new motto – ‘Our Life’s Work is Life Itself’ – expresses our determination to lead the next era of medicine, leveraging our industry leading NxWave™ platform to drive advancements in our core disease areas of neurology, GI and immunology, metabolic disorders and rare diseases, in pursuit of new medicines for patients.”

Shinichi Tamura, Chairman of Nxera Pharma, added: “When I founded Sosei in 1990, I had a clear vision to create Japan’s first global biotechnology champion. I am extremely proud of what we have achieved since then and truly excited about what we, as Nxera Pharma, can deliver in the future, to our patients, partners, employees and shareholders, as this vision becomes a reality.

“Our Company would not be where it is today without the dedication and effort of our truly international team, primarily in Japan and the UK, but also with key groups in South Korea and Switzerland. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the ambitious and highly talented people who have contributed to and shaped our journey, positioning Nxera Pharma at the forefront of the next generation of biopharmaceutical companies in Japan improving the health of patients globally.”

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About Nxera Pharma
Nxera Pharma (formerly Sosei Heptares) is a technology powered biopharma company, in pursuit of new specialty medicines to improve the lives of patients with unmet needs in Japan and globally.

In addition to several products being commercialized in Japan, we are advancing an extensive pipeline of over 30 active programs from discovery through to late clinical stage internally and in partnership with leading pharma and biotech companies. This pipeline is focused on addressing major unmet needs in some of the fastest-growing areas of medicine across neurology, GI and immunology, metabolic disorders and rare diseases, and leverages the power of our unique and industry leading GPCR-targeted structure-based drug discovery “NxWave^TM” platform to provide a sustainable source of best- or first-in-class candidates.

Nxera employs over 350 talented people at key locations in Tokyo and Osaka (Japan), London and Cambridge (UK), Basel (Switzerland) and Seoul (South Korea) and is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (ticker: 4565).

For more information, please visit www.nxera.life
LinkedIn: @NxeraPharma | X: @NxeraPharma | YouTube: @NxeraPharma

Enquiries:

Nxera – Media and Investor Relations
Kentaro Tahara, VP Investor Relations and Corporate Strategy
Shinichiro Nishishita, VP Investor Relations, Head of Regulatory Disclosures
Maya Bennison, Communications Manager
+81 (0)3 5210 3399 | +44 (0)1223 949390 |IR@Nxera.life

MEDiSTRAVA Consulting (for International Media)
Mark Swallow, Frazer Hall, Erica Hollingsworth
+44 (0)203 928 6900 | Nxera@medistrava.com

Forward-looking statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements about the discovery, development, and commercialization of products. Various risks may cause Nxera Pharma Group’s actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward looking statements, including: adverse results in clinical development programs; failure to obtain patent protection for inventions; commercial limitations imposed by patents owned or controlled by third parties; dependence upon strategic alliance partners to develop and commercialize products and services; difficulties or delays in obtaining regulatory approvals to market products and services resulting from development efforts; the requirement for substantial funding to conduct research and development and to expand commercialization activities; and product initiatives by competitors. As a result of these factors, prospective investors are cautioned not to rely on any forward-looking statements. We disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.