DENVER & SHENYANG, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar. 8, 2012-- DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA), a leading provider of kidney care services for those diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD) today announced it has entered into an agreement with 3SBio Inc., a leading Chinese biotechnology developer of biopharmaceutical products, to establish a joint venture for providing dialysis treatments in northeastern China.

"This relationship marks an important chapter in DaVita's long-term international plans," said DaVitaChairman and CEO Kent Thiry. "Patients will benefit from the strategic alliance of combining 3SBio's research and DaVita's focus on delivering outstanding clinical outcomes."

"China is an important market for DaVita, and our partnership with 3SBio will be a key element for successfully treating patients in this region of the country," said Dennis Kogod, DaVita chief operating officer.

3SBio's research activity is focused on addressing significant unmet medical needs in nephrology, oncology, supportive cancer care, and infectious diseases. The company also develops, manufactures and markets biopharmaceutical products. In addition to establishing their joint venture,DaVita and 3SBio have agreed to enter into a supply agreement for anemia management drugs throughout China.

"We look forward to the opportunity of serving patients and contributing to quality care in China," saidAtul Mathur, DaVita president for the Asia-Pacific region.

As a leading provider of kidney care services in the United States, DaVita has achieved clinical outcomes that have improved year-over-year for more than a decade, and it will share that expertise through its active engagement in managing the clinics.

"Our collaboration with DaVita will accelerate our initiatives to provide dialysis services where they are most needed, and contribute to a better quality of life for many of China's undertreated ESRD patients," said Dr. Jing Lou, CEO of 3SBio.

DaVita® is a registered trademark of DaVita Inc.All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About DaVita

DaVita Inc., a Fortune 500® company, is a leading provider of kidney care in the United States, delivering dialysis services to patients with chronic kidney failure and end stage renal disease. DaVitastrives to improve patients' quality of life by innovating clinical care, and by offering integrated treatment plans, personalized care teams and convenient health-management services. As of Dec. 31, 2011, DaVita operated or provided administrative services at 1,809 dialysis facilities in the United States, serving approximately 142,000 patients. The company also operated 11 outpatient dialysis centers located in three countries outside the United States. DaVita supports numerous programs dedicated to creating positive, sustainable change in communities around the world. The company's leadership development initiatives and social responsibility efforts have been recognized by Fortune,Modern Healthcare, Newsweek and WorldBlu. For more information, please visit http://www.davita.com.

About 3SBIO

3SBio is a leading, fully integrated, profitable biotechnology company focused on researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing biopharmaceutical products primarily in China. Its focus is on addressing large markets with significant unmet medical needs in nephrology, oncology, supportive cancer care, inflammation and infectious diseases. With headquarters and GMP-certified manufacturing facilities in Shenyang, PRC, 3SBio employs over 800 people. Shares trade in the form of American Depositary Shares (ADSs) on the NASDAQ stock market under the ticker symbol "SSRX". Please see http://www.3SBio.com for more information.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements related to prospective growth, development and strategy for certain of our international operations and expected patient outcomes. Factors which could impact future results include the risks and uncertainties associated with expansion of our operations and services to markets outside the United States, local laws and regulations, general economic and other market conditions, competition, and the risk factors set forth in our SEC filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011. The forward-looking statements should be considered in light of these risks and uncertainties. We base our forward-looking statements on information currently available to us at the time of this release, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of changes in underlying factors, new information, future events or otherwise.

Source: DaVita Inc.

DaVita Inc.
Skip Thurman, 303-405-2296
Skip.Thurman@DaVita.com