Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. announced that the launch of "C gatakanen ZERO," a website for providing the latest information on hepatitis C.

Approximately two million people nationwide are thought to be infected with hepatitis C. If left untreated, hepatitis C can advance to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Early detection and appropriate treatment are therefore crucial.

Chugai felt it important to provide information on hepatitis C promptly and appropriately to the Japanese public in order to raise awareness of needs to receive tests and treatment at an early stage based on accurate information and knowledge on hepatitis C, and therefore decided to launch this website (URL of C gatakanen ZERO: http://www.kanenzero.jp/ (Japanese-only).

Besides information on the disease and its treatment, "C gatakanen ZERO" offers information on various prefectures' subsidies to cover interferon treatment fees, a programme which began this April. By looking at a list of base hospitals nationwide, patients can obtain information on specialized medical institutions to which they can go. We also created a page where users can conduct a self-check to see the possibility of being infected with hepatitis C virus.

In December 2003, Chugai introduced Pegasys to the Japanese market as the first pegylated interferon product used for hepatitis C treatment. In March 2007, we introduced Copegus, an antiviral drug that is used in combination with Pegasys.

Chugai intends to further boost the content of the latest information it provides on hepatitis C, including the disease, tests, and treatment with the hope that the number of people suffering from hepatitis C will be reduced to zero someday.

Pegasys and Copegus are the registered trademarks of F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. (Switzerland).