Japan, September 5, 2005 - Astellas Pharma Inc. (Head Office: Tokyo, President & CEO: Toichi Takenaka, hereafter referred as "Astellas") today announced that the Astellas Group will make a donation of US$200,000 to the American Red Cross assisting for the relief effort following Hurricane Katrina hit in the US.

The donation by Astellas Group involves its US subsidiaries, Astellas US LLC and Astellas Pharma US, Inc. Astellas is also responding to the desire of its employees to support relief efforts through monetary donations, which its US subsidiaries will match private donations.

Astellas has a substantial number of employees, about 1,700, who live and work in the US. Astellas expresses its sympathy for the people whose lives have been devastated by the hurricane and contributes to support of the disaster recovery.