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Kyowa Kirin International’s Tax Strategy

The Kyowa Kirin International Group (the “Group”) is a rapidly growing specialty pharmaceutical group engaged in the development and commercialisation of prescription medicines. The Group is focused on the EMEA region and is a 100% subsidiary of Tokyo-based Kyowa Kirin Co. Ltd. In all undertakings, including tax, the Group conducts itself in line with its values of commitment to life, innovation, integrity and Wa (which in Japanese means harmony and teamwork).

Commitment to life

The Group recognises that in each of the jurisdictions in which it operates, the taxes raised are a significant, and direct, contributory factor to the local government’s ability to influence the well-being and health of those who live there. The Group adopts a prudent approach to tax planning and does not engage in aggressive or artificial tax planning schemes. The Group has a tax function that is intended to support the business and not to lead the business. This approach is key to ensuring that the substance of the business determines its tax footprint.

Innovation

The Group is fully committed to the implementation of the BEPS recommendations and keeping abreast of international tax developments. The Group seeks to proactively utilise technology and digitization to ensure compliance.

Integrity

The Group seeks to take advantage of such tax reliefs and allowances as are made available to it by governments or fiscal authorities and seeks to apply reliefs in a manner consistent with the letter and spirit of the relevant legislation. Where appropriate the Group seeks Advance Pricing Agreements with the relevant tax authorities to provide both transparency and certainty to our affairs. It is The Group’s intention to have little more than a minimal level of tax associated risk present within the Group and whilst some risk will inevitably arise, the Group will seek to find certainty in respect of this within a short but appropriate timescale. As part of our tax governance processes, we rely upon our in-house tax team, a network of external experts and our relationships within the industry to allow us to ensure our approach remains in line with best practice. Reviews of our processes, procedures and outputs are performed by internal and external auditors and all material tax positions require sign off by senior managers or directors. Our in-house tax team are suitably qualified for their roles and are supported with regular training.

Teamwork/Wa

The Group engages with HMRC in an open and constructive manner with regular dialogue between the Group Tax Manager and our HMRC Customer Compliance Manager allowing for any areas of disagreement or points of interpretation to be resolved on a timely basis. Where available the Group will seek clearance and confirmation from HMRC to provide certainty of tax treatment on any significant transactions. The Group will continue to strengthen and deepen our relationships with HMRC (and her overseas equivalents) to allow for clarity and predictability in our tax affairs. This policy is reviewed annually and applies to all companies within the UK Group1. The Group regards this publication as complying with the duty under para 19(2) Sch19 FA2016. This strategy is applied throughout the wider Kyowa Kirin International Group and is adopted in the UK by the board of KKI plc on an annual basis, corresponding to the relevant accounting period. It was last approved by the Board of KKI plc on 13 December 2022 and published on 29 December 2023, and reflects the strategy applied during the year ended 31 December 2022. It is foreseen that this strategy will also be applied for the year ended 31 December 2023 and will be published as such during that year. This policy applies to the following companies, Kyowa Kirin International Plc, Kyowa Kirin Pharmaceutical Development Limited, Kyowa Kirin Services Ltd, Kyowa Kirin Limited and Archimedes Pharma UK Limited. This strategy is consistent with the Kyowa Kirin Group Tax Policy implemented and applicable to the wider Group. https://www.kyowakirin.com/sustainability/governance/taxpolicy/index.html

Section 172 (1) statement

Section 172(1) of the Companies Act 2006 requires the Directors of the Kyowa Kirin International plc (the ”Company”) to act in the way they consider, in good faith, is most likely to promote the success of the Company for the benefit of its members as a whole, while also considering the broad range of stakeholders who interact with and are impacted by our business. In doing so, the Directors must have regard, amongst other matters, to the:

likely consequences of any decisions in the long term
interests of the Company’s employees
need to foster the Company’s business relationships with suppliers, customers and others
impact of the Company’s operations on the community and environment
desirability of the Company maintaining a reputation for high standards of business conduct and
need to act fairly as between members of the Company.

Throughout the year, the Directors have had regard to the factors set out above, as well as other factors relevant to the decisions being made. The Board acknowledges that every decision made will not necessarily result in a positive outcome for all stakeholders. By considering our Purpose and Values, together with our strategic priorities, the Board aims to ensure that the decisions made are consistent and intended to promote the Company’s long-term success.

The ways in which the Directors have addressed the matters set out in section 172(1) (a) to (f) when performing their duties are summarised below:

Long Term results

The Board in conjunction with the Company’s sole shareholder. Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd, recognises the importance of the future of the group’s offering of Pharmaceutical products and therapies and the level of expenditure on research and development required to promote the long-term interests of the Company. The matters considered by the Board in conjunction with Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd in this regard include: (i) pipeline planning (ii) budgets for research and development and for marketing (iii) dividend policy.

Employees

The Board strives to maintain and develop a culture where everyone feels valued and included. The Board has engaged with employees via a variety of channels. Regular “Town Hall” meetings have taken place, both virtually and in-person, where the Board has shared its strategic vision, where employees are able to learn about the patient journey and where Q&A sessions are delivered. Feedback from employees is actively encouraged and is considered a key driver in developing our business activities, processes and workplace environment. Initiatives to encourage wellbeing are well established and continue to evolve and are strongly influenced by the workforce. Professional and personal development of employees is viewed as fundamental to the continued success of the Company and our revised Development & Performance Management initiatives seek to promote this.

Suppliers, customers and others

The Board recognises that as a pharmaceutical company it is crucial that we deliver a reliable service to our customers and patients. Following Brexit, changes to the regulatory environment have created additional challenges to ensuring the supply of medicines to patients across the regions in which we operate. To ensure continuity of service, we have developed new business models, revised the way we work with suppliers and partners and fostered new relationships. Strong relationships with suppliers are crucial to ensure a continuity of service to our patients.

As a pharmaceutical company it is essential that we fully comply with regulations across a variety of territories. The Board regards compliance with the upmost importance and this message is delivered and followed by all facets of the business. Internal Audit and Compliance functions report to the Board on a regular basis and strong Whistleblowing policies have been adopted. Training and monitoring is continually developed and open communication between the Board and stakeholders is encouraged.

Community and environment

The role of the Company in supporting the communities in which we operate is a consideration in the Board’s decision-making. It is recognised that climate change is of considerable importance and as such the business continually reviews the way it operates with regards to our carbon footprint. Kyowa Kirin has a wide-ranging global presence. The necessity of air travel between Kyowa Kirin sites is always considered carefully.

The Company and our employees engage with groups, projects and charities to help achieve successful outcomes for local communities.

Our Reputation

As a responsible business, we aim to be a force for good and to have a positive impact on the people, societies and places with whom and which we interact. The Board periodically reviews the continuing suitability of the frameworks underpinning our high standards of business including a range of policies and standards and our ‘business’ corporate governance structure. Such policies and standards include: (i) codes of conduct; (ii) anti-corruption and bribery policies; and (iii) our internal risk procedures.

Fairness between shareholders

The Company’s sole shareholder is Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd. Our corporate governance structure ensures that regular and constructive dialogue takes place between the Company and Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd in order to promote the long-term success of the Company

Speak Up Line

Kyowa Kirin is an organisation with strong values of integrity, innovation and teamwork (Wa).

We are committed to an environment where open, honest communications are the expectation, not the exception. As an individual connected to Kyowa Kirin, we want to ensure that you are able to communicate with us directly should you believe that we are not living up to our values in any respect but particularly encourage reporting where a violation of a law, regulation or compliance standard may have taken place.

We encourage all who work or engage with us to report any matters of concern freely and openly at the earliest possible opportunity.

To do so anonymously, we encourage staff and contractors to use this “Speak Up” line, hosted by a third party provider, EthicsPoint.

The information you provide will be sent to us by EthicsPoint on a totally confidential and anonymous (if you should choose) basis. You have our guarantee that your comments will be heard and actioned appropriately.

Click here to access our Speak Up Line

Do not use this line for the following:

Reporting any adverse events following use of Kyowa Kirin products or product quality complaints. These should be reported to local medical safety lines. See local Kyowa Kirin contact pages for contact details.

Contacting Kyowa Kirin to exercise your rights as data subjects. Contact KKIDPOoffice@kyowakirin.com instead.

Third Party Code of Conduct

We believe a strong relationship with our business partners and suppliers (our “third parties”) is key to achieving our mission to make people smile.

To support these relationships, we have created our Third Party Code of Conduct. Our intention is that it enables a mutual understanding of our company's core values and beliefs, as well as the standards we expect our third parties to uphold.

Click here to access our Third Party Code of Conduct

Modern Slavery Act

Modern Slavery Act Transparency Statement

This statement is made by Kyowa Kirin International plc ("KKI"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd. (a company incorporated in Japan and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange), pursuant to Section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (the "Act"). This statement sets out the steps taken by KKI and its subsidiaries (together referred to as the "Kyowa Kirin Group") to prevent modern slavery, human rights violations and trafficking in its business and supply chains during the financial year ended 31 December 2023.

The Kyowa Kirin Group's business is R&D based pharmaceuticals. The Kyowa Kirin Group strives to contribute to the health and well-being of people around the world through the pursuit of advances in life sciences and technologies.

KKI has its head office in the UK and the Kyowa Kirin Group has trading companies across Europe and the GCC which market and distribute our pharmaceutical products.

Our Principles and Policies

The Kyowa Kirin Group is committed to ensuring that there is no modern slavery or human trafficking in our supply chains or in any part of our business. We are committed to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business relationships and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure slavery and human trafficking is not taking place in our business or any of our supply chains. We have a zero tolerance to slavery and human trafficking. As such, the Kyowa Kirin Group has in place a Human Rights Policy and a Procurement Policy.

We undertake appropriate right to work checks on all employees across the Kyowa Kirin Group and do not employ anyone who does not provide the appropriate documentation. This policy minimises the risk of the Kyowa Kirin Group employing anyone who has been forced to work or trafficked. We also require our employees to provide proof of age to ensure we do not employ anyone who is not of legal age to work.

Our Supply Chains

We outsource our manufacturing and packaging requirements to third parties, including the supply of active pharmaceutical ingredients.

Risk Assessment and Management

Some of our suppliers and business partners are based in countries where there is a higher prevalence of modern slavery, based on the Global Slavery Index.

However, the nature of the services that these suppliers and business partners offer are not associated with a high risk of modern slavery. Therefore we consider the inherent risk of modern slavery, trafficking and/or human rights violations to be low.

Notwithstanding the low risk associated with our supply chain, we undertake regular supplier diligence, as noted below, and where concerns are identified we will take targeted remedial or preventative action, as appropriate.

Supplier Diligence

The Kyowa Kirin Group operates an ongoing supply chain surveillance exercise in order to ensure that our third party suppliers do not engage in any activities or behaviour in contravention of the Act. This includes:

Ensuring that new supplier contracts include reference to the Act, and existing contracts are amended to do so at the earliest opportunity.
Including compliance with the Act as part of our internal supplier Risk Management Assessment processes.

The Kyowa Kirin Group is engaged in continuous improvement to its management of contracts and third party diligence and oversight with the introduction of digital tools for pre-engagement due diligence and monitoring.

In 2023, Kyowa Kirin published its Third Party Code of Conduct (“the Code”), which communicates its expectations in terms of respect of human rights. All new supplier and distribution agreements include a commitment to comply with the Code and to complete training on the Code if requested.

Performance Indicators

We are committed to ensuring the direction and focus of any performance incentives implemented by us do not contribute to or create a risk of modern slavery within our business or supply chain. Our policies and procedures prioritise our commitment to a zero tolerance of modern slavery over the implementation of performance incentives either in our business or to our suppliers.

Training

We require all employees to complete training annually in respect of prevention of bribery and corruption.

This Modern Slavery Act Transparency Statement was approved by the Board of Directors of Kyowa Kirin International plc on 12 June 2024.

Financial Declaration

At Kyowa Kirin we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of transparency and ethics with regards to all our business practices. Collaborations with healthcare professionals, healthcare organizations and patient organizations are based upon supporting improvements in the quality of care for all patients. The information for Reporting of Value Transfers for Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Lativa, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden can be accessed below. All enquires here.

2025

Finland

EFPIA disclosure code

Cooperation with Patient Organisations 2025

Kyowa Kirin provides a sponsorship the Kalfos ry 20 year anniversary members meeting held on 12 April 2025.

The meeting offers peer support to patients, shares new information and scientific findings to patients about the disability they have, gives an opportunity to be an active participant in a patient group and helps to create and strengthen the connections between other patients who have the same rare disability.

Support provided: €2700

2024

Sweden

Metodbeskrivning 2024 - 28 May 2025
Reporting of Value Transfers 2024 - 28 May 2025
LIFs collaborative database

Denmark

Methodological Note Kyowa Kirin Nordics Baltics 2024 - January 2025

Information regarding transparency and collaborations with Healthcare Professionals, please visit: Link to Danish Medicines Agency

Read more about LIF’s and ENLI’s ethical rules: Samarbejde – Lif

In March 2024 Kyowa Kirin AB has provided Aarhus University Hospital, Department of Dermatology and Venerology, Denmark, VAT no. 31 11 91 03, with a research grant of 100.146 EUR. The grant will be used to via digital special profiling investigate the role of resident memory T-cells (TRM) in progression and risk of relapse after allogeneic stem cell transplantation, as well as TRM cells’ microenvironment and if their presence is affected by targeted therapies. The project will run for 2 years.

In August 2023 Kyowa Kirin AB has provided the patient organisation Sjældne Diagnoser, cvr. no. 20514892, with a financial sponsorship of DKK 20.000. The sponsorship shall be used for Sjældne-dagen taking place 29 February 2024. Sjældne-dagen is arranged by Sjældne Diagnoser with the purpose of creating visibility around rare diseases and disabilities.

Estonia

Methodological Note Kyowa Kirin EE 2024 - 28 May 2025
Reporting of Value Transfers 2024 - 28 May 2025

Latvia

Methodological Note Kyowa Kirin LV 2024 - 28 May 2025
Health Inspectorate Republic of Lavtia - 28 May 2025

2023

Sweden

Metodbeskrivning 2023 - 29 May 2024
Reporting of Value Transfers 2023 - 29 May 2024
LIFs collaborative database