Acquisition Of American Peptide Company

Sunnyvale, CA (July 30, 2008) – American Peptide Company, Inc. today announced that its parent company, Ito Life Sciences (Ibaraki, Japan), will be acquired by Otsuka Chemical Company (Osaka, Japan), part of the Otsuka Group (Osaka, Japan). Otsuka Chemical Company will be the new owner of American Peptide Company and Ito Life Sciences Shanghai, both subsidiaries of Ito Life Sciences, beginning September 1, 2008. Ito Life Sciences is currently owned by Itoham Foods.

"American Peptide Company is poised to benefit greatly from this acquisition,” says Takahiro Ogata, president and COO, American Peptide Company. “By operating as an enterprise of Otsuka Chemical Company, we will create new global networking opportunities as well as channel more financial resources to our production and manufacturing facilities. As a result, we will enhance our Total Peptide Management services to our customers.”

The Total Peptide Management program is a customized service platform that offers a broad array of high-quality peptides, value-added services, and expert consultation. Leveraging the experience and expertise of the American Peptide Company’s leadership team, the program helps pharmaceutical and biotech customers properly select peptides and follow correct procedures and compliance guidelines from research development through scale-up to full manufacturing.

As American Peptide Company continues to build its technical capabilities and customer base with its service-oriented Total Peptide Management program, it will be a critical asset to the Otsuka Chemical Company portfolio. Additionally, American Peptide Company is expanding its facilities in Vista and Sunnyvale, California to accommodate large scale peptide production at the kilogram scale for the company’s growing customer network.