TOKYO -(Dow Jones)- Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. (Tokyo:4502) (4502.TO) and Affymax Inc. (NASDAQ-NMS:AFFY) ( AFFY) said Friday they have started the late stages of joint clinical trials for Hematide anemia drug, paving the way for marketing approval in the U.S. and Europe around 2010.

In clinical trials known as phase-3, Osaka-based Takeda and Affymax will evaluate Hematide's effectiveness with chronic renal failure patients suffering anemia, they said in a joint statement.

The phase-3 program will involve about 2,200 patients to be enrolled by 2008, they said.

-By Kazuhiro Shimamura, Dow Jones Newswires; 813-5255-2929; kazuhiro.shimamura@dowjones.com

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