TOKYO, August 20, 2021?? Astellas Pharma Inc. (TSE: 4503, President and CEO: Kenji Yasukawa, Ph.D., "Astellas") and FibroGen, Inc. (Nasdaq: FGEN, CEO: Enrique Conterno, "FibroGen") today announced that the European Commission (EC) has approved EVRENZOTM (roxadustat) for the treatment of adult patients with symptomatic anemia associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD). ?We are very pleased EVRENZO has been approved as the first oral HIF-PH inhibitor to treat adult patients with symptomatic anemia associated with CKD in the European Union,? said Steven Benner, M.D., M.H.S., President of Development, Astellas. ?Today?s approval provides patients, regardless of dialysis status, with a first-in-class treatment option to address the multifaceted nature of this condition. We look forward to making roxadustat available to adult patients with anemia of CKD in countries across the European Union.? CKD impacts one in 10 people globally, of whom one in five are affected by anemia.^{1, 2?}Anemia of CKD is often untreated or not treated to target, and is associated with reduced quality of life and progression to adverse cardiovascular (CV) and renal outcomes.^3-5? ?Anemia is a significant and early complication of CKD that occurs with greater frequency and impact as CKD worsens, affecting patients? day-to-day living, self-care and mobility,? said Jonathan Barratt, Ph.D., FRCP, Consultant Nephrologist and the Mayer Professor of Renal Medicine at the University of Leicester, United Kingdom. ?This approval represents a step forward in providing patients with an efficient and simple option to manage anemia symptoms and maintain target hemoglobin levels to minimize the impact on their quality of life.? Roxadustat is the first orally administered HIF-PH inhibitor available in the European Union. Roxadustat increases hemoglobin (Hb) levels through a different mechanism of action compared to injectable erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) which are typically co-administered with intravenous iron. As a HIF-PH inhibitor, roxadustat activates the body?s natural response to reduced oxygen levels in the blood. This response involves the regulation of multiple, coordinated processes that allow management of anemia with a reduced use of intravenous iron. ?HIF-PH inhibitors represent a major advance in the treatment of anemia of CKD,? said Mark Eisner, M.D., M.P.H., Chief Medical Officer, FibroGen. ?Roxadustat provides a novel breakthrough for patients who suffer from this condition.? This approval follows the European Medicines Agency?s (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) positive opinion to authorize roxadustat in June6 based on results from a comprehensive pivotal Phase 3 program comprising of eight multicenter and randomized studies, which involved 9,600 patients worldwide.^7-12?The results of this program showed roxadustat was efficacious in achieving and maintaining target Hb levels (10-12g/dL) in patients with symptomatic anemia of CKD regardless of dialysis status and irrespective of prior ESA treatment.^7-11?The safety profile observed in the roxadustat development program is reflective of the CKD populations studied and comparable to ESAs.^7-12 The EC has the authority to approve medicines for European Union member states, as well as in the European Economic Area (EEA) countries Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein.¹³ The EC approval of roxadustat triggers a milestone payment of $120 million by Astellas to FibroGen, and FibroGen will also receive royalties based upon European net sales.