Ceremony Commemorating 20th Anniversary of Taurine Joint Venture

Taisho MTC Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan; President: Satoshi Tsuruda; “Taisho MTC”), a joint venture of Taisho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan; President: Shigeru Uehara) and Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Tokyo, Japan; President & CEO: Tsutomu Tannowa) which manufactures and sells taurine, celebrated its 20th anniversary on December 3rd.

Taurine, an amino sulfonic acid, is abundant in shellfish, squid, octopus, and other fish. Important in metabolism and supporting many biological functions, taurine is widely used in energy drinks, such as Taisho Pharmaceuticals’ famous Lipovitan D^＊, eye drops, and other pharmaceutical preparations.

＊Lipovitan D was first introduced in 1962 and has enjoyed popularity among the Japanese consumer for over half a century as a leading energy drink.

Commercial production at Taisho MTC began over two decades ago in September 1995. During this time, over 36,000 tons of taurine have been commercially produced. Satoshi Tsuruda, President of Taisho MTC and General Manager of Mitsui Chemicals’ Health Care Materials Division, addressed the over 40 guests which included Yuji Koyama, Vice President of Taisho MTC and Executive Officer, Head of Production Headquarters at Taisho Pharmaceuticals, with the following words:

“I would like to express heartfelt gratitude to all those working at our taurine operations, including those working in connection with Lipovitan D, and all our consumers for their loyal patronage. We will continue to meet society’s and the consumer’s highest expectations for quality and safe operations and kindly ask for everyone’s continued support .”

Taisho MTC will continue to contribute to society by providing reliable and stable supplies of taurine for use in products which support the welfare of people around the world.

【Taisho MTC Ltd.】