Exclusive Overseas Distributorship Agreement Signed with Revorf for Infertility and Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Testing- Investing in advanced medical technology startups and promoting global expansion to help solve the issue of declining birthrates -

Sumitomo Corporation (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President and Chief Executive Officer: Shingo Ueno) has invested in Revorf (Head Office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Shinichi Sueda), a bio-venture company that develops medical testing and drug discovery support businesses, concluding an exclusive worldwide distributorship agreement, excluding Japan, for the infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) testing business (*1) that Revorf is developing in Japan.

An estimated 500,000 female patients suffer from infertility in Japan, and a further 300,000 to 500,000 patients experience recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL). In approximately half of these cases the infertility / RPL is of unknown origin, making it difficult to treat and thus an important medical challenge in a country that is facing a declining birthrate. Globally, about 17.5% of the adult population (approximately 1 in 6 people) is said to suffer from infertility, and there is an urgent need to improve access to affordable and high-quality treatment.

The infertility / RPL test developed by Revorf employs a new technology that enables a blood test for the neo-self antibodies (*2) that cause miscarriages or thrombosis. This condition was previously considered unexplained and accounts for approximately 20% of all RPL cases, and has recently been linked to infertility in reports as well. Clinical studies have confirmed that in groups where appropriate treatments were implemented for positive test results, the pregnancy rate was more than double in infertility cases and the birth rate was approximately 1.7 times higher in cases of RPL. Revorf began offering this test in 2022, and it's currently been expanded to over 140 medical institutions in Japan. Assuming the test is approved as an advanced medical treatment option in the future, more widespread use can be anticipated as medical expense subsidies from local governments will reduce the patient’s out-of-pocket costs for testing.

Sumitomo Corporation has been involved in the pharmaceutical industry since the 1970s, mainly providing drug discovery research and development support and raw material supplies to pharmaceutical companies, alongside comprehensive sales and marketing and contract manufacturing services. In the future, we aim to utilize our accumulated knowledge in the medical and pharmaceutical fields to discover promising medical technologies originating in Japan, and create new medical support businesses by expanding our global network even further. This agreement marks the first of these initiatives, as Sumitomo Corporation has acquired exclusive overseas marketing rights for the new fertility and RPL testing technology, and will expand the business through our extensive overseas hospital network.

Sumitomo Corporation is committed to contributing to the global healthcare sector by leveraging its knowledge in the medical field across domestic and overseas networks, developing new medical support businesses founded on medical technology originating in Japan as a pillar of earnings.

(*1) Recurrent pregnancy loss
According to the Japan Society for Recurrent Pregnancy Loss, it refers to a condition in which a woman can conceive but has two or more miscarriages or stillbirths. Infertility can affect both males and females, depending on the cause, while RPL affects only females.

(*2) Neo-self antibodies
Antibodies are proteins that eliminate foreign substances (antigens) that have invaded the body. Neo-self antibodies are a type of antibody (auto-antibody) that for some reason attacks normal cells and tissues (self-antigen) in the body, and were discovered in 2014 by Revorf's collaborative research partner Professor Hisashi Arase of Osaka University and his colleagues. Subsequently, a specific neo-self antibody was studied as a new autoantibody that causes thrombosis, infertility and RPL, and in 2020, the relationship between RPL and neo-self antibodies was confirmed in a clinical study conducted with the cooperation of five university hospitals, led by Kobe University.
(American College of Rheumatology, Arthritis & Rheumatology, June 24, 2020. Lead author: Kenji Tanimura, paper title: "The β2-Glycoprotein I/HLA–DR Complex As a Major Autoantibody Target in Obstetric Antiphospholipid Syndrome")

Revorf Overview

Company name	:	Revorf
Head office	:	Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Business overview	:	Medical testing and drug discovery support services
Establishment	:	2019
Website	:	https://www.revorf.jp/

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