The Tanabe Pharma Group believes that using our business to provide value to society and contribute to a sustainable society is integral to our corporate survival and growth. To clarify this belief and strengthen our efforts along those lines, in fiscal 2018, following the process outlined below, we identified material issues that our Company is positioned to actively address. Since then, however, the social and environmental issues have become more pressing, and the demands of society have accordingly changed.

 

Recognizing the changes, we looked back at our achievements and forward to the future of healthcare, and reevaluated the role that Tanabe Pharma should play in the society of the future. This reevaluation led us to recast our corporate philosophy into our MISSION and our vision into VISION 30. As part of these efforts, we identified the following eight items as new materialities from the perspective of what is important in helping to realize a sustainable society.

Process of Designating Material Issues

Step 1: Identify social issues that need to be considered

In designating material issues, the Group considered not only international guidelines and GRI standards but also SASB*1 pharmaceutical industry evaluation standards, ATM index*2 evaluation items, and others. In this way, social issues that need to be considered were identified in a comprehensive manner.

  1. Sustainability Accounting Standards Board. An NPO based in the U.S. that sets and discloses sustainability evaluation standards by industry. In 2021, it was integrated with the IIRC to establish the Value Reporting Foundation (VRF).
  2. Access to Medicine Index. An index that analyzes and ranks 20 of the world’s top pharmaceutical companies on how they make medicines more accessible. Implemented by the Access to Medicine Foundation, an NPO based in the Netherlands.

Step 2: Prioritize social issues

For the social issues identified in step 1, their importance for the Group was evaluated with consideration for such factors as the Group’s values and major policies, strategies and specific activity objectives, and risk-related information.
In addition, to evaluate the importance of these issues for stakeholders, we analyzed and organized items that are considered to be important by evaluation institutions that work to promote responsible investing on behalf of external stakeholders. From these two perspectives, we created a materiality map and narrowed down the issues to those with high priority.

Step 3: Confirm appropriateness and designate material issues

We designated the material issues after the validity of the materiality map was confirmed through consultation with experts from inside and outside the Company. For the material issues, we organized and confirmed their relevance in regard to major initiatives and the SDGs.

Materiality and Monitoring Indicators

The Group has established monitoring indicators to track the status of materiality initiatives and bring about further improvements. Following a review of materiality, we have established the monitoring indicators shown below. The results of the new monitoring indicators are disclosed beginning with the fiscal 2021 results.
Please click the link to see initiative examples.

① Innovative pharmaceuticals and healthcare services

sdgs03e sdgs09e

Main Initiatives and Results

FY2024

FY2023

FY2022

FY2021

Scope of data collection

Creating new drugs, adding indications, changing dosage and administration, adding formulations, and providing around the pill solutions

Number of approvals (Medium-Term Management Plan 21–25, cumulative)

35

29

24*4

13

(Global)

Number of solutions provided to patients (Medium-Term Management Plan 21–25, cumulative)

6

5

3

0

(Global)

Number of development pipelines

16

17

20

27

(Global)

Awards received for drug discovery (total since 2007 merger)

22

22

21

21

(Global)

Number of partnering projects

(Medium-Term Management Plan 21–25, cumulative)

19

15

11

6

(Global)

Medium-Term Management Plan 21–25 new product sales volume by year

  • 1,235 packs
    (Therapeutic drugs for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders)
  • 32,648 packs
    (Therapeutic drugs for tardive dyskinesia)
  • 110,944 packs
    (Therapeutic drugs for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, oral suspension)
  • 1,374,858 packs
    (5 combined vaccine)
  • 654 packs
    (Therapeutic drugs for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders)
  • 27,651 packs
    (Therapeutic drugs for tardive dyskinesia)
  • 91,023 packs
    (Therapeutic drugs for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, oral suspension)
  • 50,345 packs
    (5 combined vaccine)
  • 299 packs
    (Therapeutic drugs for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders)
  • 6,507 packs
    (Therapeutic drugs for tardive dyskinesia)
  • 24,587 packs
    (Therapeutic drugs for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, oral suspension)
  • 123 packs
    (Therapeutic drugs for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders)

(Global)

② Quality assurance and stable supply

sdgs03e sdgs12e

Main Initiatives and Results

FY2024

FY2023

FY2022

FY2021

Scope of data collection

Building systems for the stable supply of reliable pharmaceuticals, and appropriate responses to questions about quality

Number of product recalls

(class I, II, and III)

Class I 0

Class II 0

Class III 0

Class I 0

Class II 2

Class III 0

Class I 0

Class II 1

Class III 0

Class I 0

Class II 1

Class III 0

(Japan)

Customer satisfaction with questions about quality

93.5%

91.2%

92.9%

92.4%

(Japan)

③ Appropriate use of products

sdgs03e sdgs12e

Main Initiatives and Results

FY2024

FY2023

FY2022

FY2021

Scope of data collection

Establishing a drug consultation center, collecting safety information, and providing information related to the appropriate use of products

Number of external presentations on clinical research (papers/academic conferences, etc.)

156

105

84

77

(Global)

Instances of safety information collected

Domestic: 22,450

Overseas: 39,401

Domestic: 22,893

Overseas: 42,393

Domestic: 20,200

Overseas: 49,600

Domestic: 14,600

Overseas: 54,100

(Global)

④ Access to healthcare

sdgs03e sdgs09e sdgs17e

Main Initiatives and Results

FY2024

FY2023

FY2022

FY2021

Scope of data collection

Supporting patients, developing therapeutic drugs for intractable and rare diseases, promoting projects for infectious diseases that are prevalent in developing countries

Number of subsidized patient organizations (cumulative, total)

352

282

219

167

(Global)

Number of health support website visitors

21.95 million

20.46 million

24.25 million

31.44 million

(Global)

Number of pipelines for intractable and rare diseases

11

8

8*4

9

(Global)

Number of approvals for intractable and rare diseases (Medium-Term Management Plan 21–25)

4

4

4*4

1

(Global)

Number and stage of infectious disease treatment projects for developing countries

3 (Non-clinical)

3 (Non-clinical)

3 (Non-clinical)

2 (Non-clinical)

(Global)

Number of health support programs in developing countries

Vaccine: 11,881 doses

Vaccine: 11,335 doses

Vaccine: 9,281 doses

Vaccine: 34,633 doses

(Global)

⑤ Stakeholder engagement

sdgs12e 

Main Initiatives and Results

FY2024

FY2023

FY2022

FY2021

Scope of data collection

Disseminating information and dialoging with stakeholders including customers, the general public, and employees

Employee awareness survey results (Sympathy/understanding of management philosophy, rewarding/motivation)

73%
(total favorable)*1

77%
(total favorable)*1

77%
(total favorable)*1

79%
(total favorable)*1

(Global)

Customer satisfaction survey results

(7-point scale)

Overall satisfaction: 5.17
Sympathy: 5.21
Necessity: 5.67

Overall satisfaction: 5.00
Sympathy: 5.09
Necessity: 5.51

Overall satisfaction: 5.11
Sympathy: 5.12
Necessity: 5.62

Overall satisfaction: 5.05
Sympathy: 5.09
Necessity: 5.56

(Japan)

⑥ Employee health, diversity and inclusion

sdgs03e sdgs05e sdgs08e

Main Initiatives and Results

FY2024

FY2023

FY2022

FY2021

Scope of data collection

Promoting health management and improving work environment where all employees can play an active role

Employee survey results (Wellness item)

84%
(total favorable)*1

85%
(total favorable)*1

84%
(total favorable)*1

85%
(total favorable)*1

(Global)

Employee survey results (Diversity and respect for individuals)

80%
(total favorable)*1

81%
(total favorable)*1

79%
(total favorable)*1

81%
(total favorable)*1

(Global)

Diversity of management

25.0%*5

25.0%*5

10.0%

20.8%

(Global)

⑦ Environment-friendly business

sdgs07e sdgs13e sdgs15e sdgs17e

Main Initiatives and Results

FY2024

FY2023

FY2022

FY2021

Scope of data collection

Reducing environmental impact in corporate activities and educating employees to raise environmental awareness

GHG emissions

(vs. fiscal 2019)

35.0% reduction

34.0% reduction*2

28.7% reduction*2

18.1% reduction*2

(Global)

Amount of water withdrawal

(vs. fiscal 2019)

44.6% reduction

38.2% reduction*2

37.6% reduction*2

31.1% reduction*2

(Global)

Amount of final waste disposed

(vs. fiscal 2019)

78.2% reduction

70.8% reduction*2

52.8% reduction

1.1% reduction

(Japan)

⑧ Ethics, fairness and integrity

sdgs12e sdgs16e

Main Initiatives and Results

FY2024

FY2023

FY2022

FY2021

Scope of data collection

Working to cultivate an awareness of compliance issues, establishing and observing a variety of policies, and establishing hotlines

Surveying employee awareness on compliance (Employee awareness survey / 5 points is a perfect score)

96%
(total favorable)*1*3

96%
(total favorable)*1

95%
(total favorable)*1*3

4.51 points

(Global)

Customer satisfaction survey results

(7-point scale)

Compliance: 5.29
Confidence: 5.38

Compliance: 5.09
Confidence: 5.23

Compliance: 5.15
Confidence: 5.31

Compliance: 5.14
Confidence: 5.29

(Japan)

  • Initiative examples:
  1. Total favorable is the total score of the top two response choices (Agree/Tend to Agree).
  2. Due to some calculation omissions and a review of calculation coefficients, results from FY2019 onwards have been amended.
  3. In accordance with changes to survey methods, FY2022 results and the scope of the survey have also changed.
  4. FY2022 results were revised to account for some omissions and for revisions to aggregation methods.
  5. Due to a reorganization of overseas consolidated companies, the companies targeted for aggregation were revised.