Archemix and Takeda to Enter into Collaboration for Discovery and Development of Aptamer Therapeutics

Archemix Corp. (“Archemix”) and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (“Takeda”) announced today that both parties have signed a multi-year, three target agreement that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of first-in-class aptamer-based therapeutics.

Under the agreement, Archemix will receive an upfront payment of $6 million from Takeda to discover and generate product candidates to three disease-associated targets identified by Takeda, and Takeda will be granted exclusive, worldwide rights for research, development, manufacturing and commercialization for any resulting aptamer-based products. Archemix will also receive committed research funding and research and clinical development milestone payments for each target selected for therapeutic development. In addition, Archemix will earn royalties and milestones on worldwide sales of the developed aptamers commercialized by Takeda. Detailed financial terms were not disclosed.

“Our alliance with Takeda is the sixth major partnership we have formed within the past year and is a major step in the continued validation of aptamer therapeutics,” said Errol De Souza, Ph.D., President and CEO, Archemix. “Takeda is an excellent partner for Archemix and this collaboration is a key component of successfully implementing our strategy of forming collaborations with multi-national pharmaceutical companies to rapidly advance aptamer programs into clinical development.”

“We are very impressed with Archemix’ track record of success in creating therapeutic aptamers,” said Dr. Shigenori Ohkawa, General Manager of Pharmaceutical Research Division, Takeda. “Archemix is the leader in the discovery of aptamer therapeutics and we believe that, as a class, aptamers have the potential to create a new paradigm of treatments in a broad spectrum of diseases, and we believe this collaboration will surely contribute to enhancing our R&D pipeline as source for future growth of Takeda.”

About Aptamers

Aptamers are single-stranded nucleic acids that form well-defined three dimensional shapes, allowing them to bind target molecules in a manner that is conceptually similar to antibodies. Aptamers combine the optimal characteristics of small molecules and antibodies, including high specificity and affinity, chemical stability, low immunogenicity and the ability to target protein-protein interactions. In contrast to monoclonal antibodies, aptamers are chemically synthesized rather than biologically expressed.

About Archemix

Archemix Corp. is a privately-held biopharmaceutical company developing aptamers as a class of directed therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of human disease. The company is leveraging its proprietary drug discovery technology to fuel the growth of its development portfolio, which is primarily focused on acute cardiovascular and hematology diseases and cancer. Archemix's broad product pipeline, being developed both by the company as well as its licensees, includes multiple investigational compounds at various stages of development several of which are moving into advanced clinical trials. Archemix’s lead proprietary product, ARC1779, a selective platelet inhibitor, is anticipated to start Phase IIa clinical trials before the end of 2007. Archemix' leadership position in intellectual property, technology and expertise relating to aptamers has enabled it to form numerous collaborations with biotechnology and pharmaceutical collaborators, including Merck Serono, Pfizer Inc., Elan Pharma, Nuvelo, Inc., Antisoma plc., and Regado Biosciences. For more information, please visit www.archemix.com.

About Takeda

Located in Osaka, Japan, Takeda is a research-based global company with its main focus on pharmaceuticals. As the largest pharmaceutical company in Japan and one of the global leaders of the industry, Takeda is committed to striving toward better health for individuals and progress in medicine by developing superior pharmaceutical products. Takeda is actively dedicated to enhance its pipeline for future growth through alliance as well as in-house R&D activities. Additional information about Takeda is available through its corporate website, www.takeda.com.

Takeda Pharmaceutical to Acquire Paradigm Therapeutics Limited

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited ("Takeda") today announced that Takeda and Paradigm Therapeutics Limited ("Paradigm") agreed on March 12, 2007 to the acquisition of Paradigm by Takeda. Paradigm shareholders were advised by Avlar BioVentures Limited. Financial terms were not disclosed. Subject to completion, which is expected to occur within a few weeks, Paradigm will become a subsidiary of Takeda Europe Holdings B.V., a wholly owned subsidiary of Takeda. Additionally, Paradigm will be renamed Takeda Cambridge Limited, and Paradigm's subsidiary in Singapore will be renamed Takeda Singapore Pte Limited.

Founded in 1999 by University of Cambridge researchers, Paradigm has established world-class target identification and validation capabilities based on genetic engineering and in vivo pharmacology. Using their capabilities, Paradigm has already developed a promising pipeline of novel drug discovery targets and compounds in key areas of unmet medical need including pain, CNS disorders, prostate and breast cancer, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and obesity.

With this merger, which replaces and builds upon Takeda and Paradigm's 2005 CNS therapeutic area alliance, Paradigm's technologies and researchers will be integrated into Takeda and will help to accelerate multiple scientific processes such as the validation of drug targets derived from genomic research, the creation of animal models reflecting the human pathologic conditions, and the optimization of drug candidates.

"Takeda have been an excellent partner in our CNS collaboration and this deal represents a logical and positive extension to that. The company looks forward to continuing with its drug discovery and development activities within the global reach and long term planning horizons of Takeda," said Alastair Riddell, CEO of Paradigm.

"We are very excited with this deal, which will add to Takeda another research base equipped with the state-of-the-art technologies expected to further improve Takeda's research efficiency," said Yasuchika Hasegawa, President of Takeda. "We now have research functions in Japan, the U.S., Europe, and in Singapore where Paradigm has its subsidiary. This acquisition surely represents our initiatives for establishing global research infrastructures and for pursuing the world's highest standard of productivity, which we believe will support enhancement of our R&D pipeline as source for future growth, and the realization of our goal to become a truly world-class pharmaceutical company."

About Paradigm

Paradigm is a private venture capital backed drug discovery and development company located on the Cambridge Science Park in Cambridge UK and Biopolis in Singapore. Paradigm acquired Amedis Pharmaceuticals in December 2004, and Paradigm signed collaboration agreement in June 2005 with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company.

About Takeda

Located in Osaka, Japan, Takeda is a research-based global company with its main focus on pharmaceuticals. As the largest pharmaceutical company in Japan and one of the global leaders of the industry, Takeda is committed to striving toward better health for individuals and progress in medicine by developing superior pharmaceutical products.