Social Contribution Activities
Participation in and Cooperation with Social Activities
Aiming for a world free of hunger, we share the goals of the World Food Programme (WFP), an organization that conducts food assistance activities around the world. We have conducted supported activities since 2008 as a trustee of the Japan Association for the World Food Programme, an authorized nonprofit organization that supports WFP, and since 2009, we have supported WFP End Hunger: Walk the World, a support program in which the general public can participate.
Moreover, since 2005 the Company has supported Junior Achievement Japan. This organization conducts support activities with the goal of cultivating socially self-reliant young people by helping them understand how social structures and economies work. Furthermore, we have supported the Disaster Relief Volunteer Promotion Committee since 1997. This association trains disaster preparedness leaders based on the lessons of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.
Contributing to Safe Urban Environments
We work closely with the local government and police and fire departments where our Head Office is located (Toshima Ward, Tokyo) to promote safety and security measures for the community. The Mejiro Area Special Organized Crime Prevention Countermeasure Association is a neighborhood association within the jurisdiction of the Mejiro Police Station, Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department that aims to eliminate special organized crime within its jurisdiction. We have participated in its activities since its inception.
In addition, we are a party to the Takada Area, Toshima City Mutual Support Agreement during Disasters, etc., which is an agreement of mutual support among eight organizations including resident associations, city facilities and companies near our Head Office that promotes disaster countermeasures in cooperation with the local community, including cooperation in evacuation drills for neighborhood facilities.
Hosting Life Science Forums
We have been holding Life Science Forums since 1986 for science journalists in various media, with the goal of providing the latest medical information and providing a wide array of life science information ranging from cutting-edge technologies to broad life science themes.
We postponed the events in 2020 and 2021 due to the spread of COVID-19, but resumed in April 2022. A total of two events had been held as of the end of June 2022. Professor Urano of the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences/ Graduate School of Medicine, the University of Tokyo, and Professor Okano of the Keio University School of Medicine both of whom won the Uehara Prize in 2021, gave lectures.
A total of 45 journalists participated, and a lively question-and-answer session was conducted with exchange of opinions.
Support for Career Education
At the Head Office, Taisho Pharmaceutical accepts workplace visits by students as part of their career education support. In addition to providing visiting students with easy-to-understand information on correct knowledge and usage, such as observing the dosage and administration of medicines, we also provide detailed information on laws and systems, such as the differences between OTC drugs and prescription pharmaceuticals, and the safety classification of OTC drugs. In addition, we are building a curriculum that will help students better understand our company and develop an interest in the pharmaceutical industry by introducing the process from research and development to clinical and manufacturing until pharmaceuticals are made, and various technologies and ingenuity there.
Factory Tours
Taisho Pharmaceutical's Omiya, Okayama and Hanyu Factories offer factory tours for all age groups, from children to adults. Every year these factories welcome some 4,000 guests. At its main plant, Omiya Factory, the Company actively welcomes children from primary schools in Saitama Prefecture, where it is located. At Head Office, Taisho Pharmaceutical accepts workplace visits by students as part of their social studies, enabling the Company to impart correct information about pharmaceuticals and the importance of using them correctly and in the correct dosages.
To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Company has suspended all factory tours and student workplace visits, from February 2020 until further notice.
Support for Victims and Areas Affected by Disaster
The Taisho Pharmaceutical Group supports recovery and reconstruction in areas affected by natural disasters such as earthquakes and heavy rains by making donations and providing relief supplies.
Major Disaster Area Support
| Date | Disaster | Support |
|---|---|---|
| November 2019 | Typhoons Faxai and Hagibis |
|
| July 2018 | Torrential rain centered in western Japan |
|
| April 2016 | Kumamoto earthquakes |
|
Initiatives of International Group Companies
A small can − A big community
Taisho Vietnam implemented a community program to promote the health of local people and create a place for exercise based on the concept of "A small can, a big community."
For each can of Lipovitan sold, we donated 100 VND to a local health promotion fund. Using this fund, in 2021 we installed 37 pieces of outdoor exercise equipment in 35 parks.
Getting to Grips with Street Drugs (UPSA SAS)
According to a report from the World Health Organization (WHO), about a tenth of the pharmaceuticals sold worldwide are counterfeit. In developing countries alone, it is thought that fully one-quarter of all pharmaceuticals sold are counterfeit products. Pharmaceuticals that are counterfeited and then sold on the street ("street drugs") are a huge societal problem. In 2013, the use of street drugs to treat malaria resulted in the deaths of around 150,000 children under the age of five in Africa.
In Cote d'Ivoire, Francebased UPSA SAS has undertaken a raft of measures to address this scourge.
Working with that country's Ministry of Health, UPSA SAS raised public awareness through large-scale TV and poster campaigns.
To secure distribution of genuine pharmaceuticals, UPSA SAS partnered with Meditect, a startup company in France's Bordeaux region, to strengthen drug traceability. Under this partnership, UPSA SAS enabled patients and health professionals to confirm a drug's reliability and distribution route by scanning a 2D code printed on the pharmaceutical package, using a dedicated smartphone app. This solution makes it easy for consumers to distinguish between genuine pharmaceutical products and street drugs.
Currently the app has been introduced in over 400 partner pharmacies throughout Cote d'Ivoire.
