Tokyo, Japan, May 8, 2012 - Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Otsuka Holdings, Co., Ltd., the parent company of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., announced today that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued its judgment dated May 7, 2012 in favor of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in its patent litigation against several companies seeking FDA approval to market generic copies of ABILIFY®

The Federal Circuit affirmed the only issue on appeal from the district court's decision, holding that the asserted claims of U.S. Patent No. 5,006,528 covering aripiprazole, the active ingredient in ABILIFY®, are valid, thus maintaining patent and regulatory protection for ABI® in the United States until at least April 20, 2015.

Otsuka Pharmaceutical will keep striving to contribute to the welfare of patients suffering from mental illness through maximizing the therapeutic value of ABILIFY®.