Pharmaceutical companies must reliably and continuously provide, collect, and communicate all information regarding the quality, efficacy, and safety required for the use of their products to healthcare professionals. Moreover, the information provision activities of pharmaceutical companies are expanding due to the rapid evolution and spread of digital technology. The Group contributes to healthcare to meet diversifying medical needs. At the same time, we provide appropriate treatment proposals in response to each patient’s condition, and conduct information provision activities for the proper use and dissemination of pharmaceuticals.
The Company is committed to delivering optimal pharmaceutical products to patients by providing information to healthcare professionals nationwide through medical representatives (MRs).
As digital technology advances, the healthcare environment is undergoing significant changes. In response, we are actively promoting digital marketing initiatives. In addition to traditional MR activities based on face-to-face visits to medical institutions, we have implemented omnichannel promotion strategies that leverage digital channels, such as online meetings and web content, tailored to the needs of physicians.
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Communication of safety information and science-based academic information on the proper use of ethical drugs
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Collection of information on drug efficacy and safety that could not be gleaned at the R&D stage, and reporting evaluations based on those results
We have assigned MRs who are specialists in specialty areas to be responsible for drugs that require a higher level of expertise.
By holding disease awareness seminars and events, we provide information to help patients and society deepen their understanding of diseases and lead better lives.
In November 2025, the Company and the JADEC (Japan Association for Diabetes Education and Care), the Yomiuri Shimbun, and Eli Lilly Japan K.K. co-hosted an online public lecture on diabetes treatment titled, “You might not be able to lower your blood sugar just by trying hard on your own,” which was attended by 1,383 people.
The public lecture featured diabetes specialists and consisted of two parts: a lecture and a discussion session. The lecture explained that the Japanese term for diabetes, tounyoubyou (literally, “sugar urine sickness”) does not accurately reflect the nature of the illness itself, which can lead to misunderstandings and prejudice, and sometimes put diabetic patients at a disadvantage in everyday life. Accordingly, the lecturers suggest using the English term, “diabetes” instead, and showcased initiatives aimed at promoting correct understanding.
People with diabetes may experience difficulty in lowering their blood sugar due to the effects of hormonal and metabolic changes. A wider range of options for treating diabetes has become available in recent years, and the lecturers shared information and hints to aid patients in finding a treatment that suits them.
The discussion session featured lively conversations on topics such as specific initiatives that help patients take a positive attitude to their treatment by discussing their life goals without focusing exclusively on their blood sugar.
The Company will work to expand correct understanding of diabetes, allowing patients to approach treatment with a positive attitude.
Explanation for online public lectures
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In December 2025, the Company and Eli Lilly Japan K.K. conducted the Appropriate MIKATA (View/Ally) Seminar of Obesity and Obesity Disease (hereinafter, the “program”) for general companies for the first time, in order to promote correct understanding of obesity disease.
The program consists of hands-on workshops that make learning fun, and accurate explanations by physicians that facilitate correct understanding. This helps participants learn correct information about obesity and obesity disease in an enjoyable way, and eliminates misunderstandings and prejudice in communities such as workplaces, and contributes to the creation of a society in which people with obesity can lead better lives.
The hands-on workshops utilize “Invisible Prejudice cards” and the “Invisible Factors board game”, tools developed under the supervision of physicians, to deepen participants’ understanding as they exchange opinions with one another. This helps participants to realize the misunderstandings and prejudices that they have unconsciously embraced regarding obesity as simply a problem of self-control, allowing them to learn that obesity is actually a complex issue with many factors that are difficult for someone to resolve on their own, such as stress, genetics, and social setting. Furthermore, explanations of this condition provided by doctors provide an opportunity to learn more about obesity and obesity disease in a correct manner.
These workshops welcomed human resources personnel, public health nurses, employees, and other personnel from companies committed to promoting health management and well-being. Participants commented that they were able to learn while enjoying themselves and that they gained some hints on creating healthy workplaces. This was a first step in expanding understanding of obesity and obesity disease from the workplace to society at large.
We have also made both tools available for free download on the program website (https://www.tanabe-pharma.com/ja/general/obesity-tadashii-mikata.html) so that anyone can use them to learn.
Through this program, the Company and Eli Lilly Japan K.K. seek to help individuals living with obesity disease, as well as those around them, to gain an understanding of the correct perspective on obesity and obesity disease. In doing so, we hope to continue to create a workplace and society that are more supportive and allow such people to thrive.
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Self-medication means to be “responsible for one’s own health and self-treatment for minor ailments” (WHO definition).
To promote self-medication, the Company conducts a variety of educational programs through TV commercials and websites to help people suffering from health issues in a range of disease areas to obtain accurate information and find a treatment as quickly as possible.
In the dermatology domain, the information on the Hifu No Koto website is monitored by specialists such as doctors and pharmacists and offers easy-to-understand information on skin troubles in general.
In fiscal 2025, we updated our information page that provides basic information on topical steroids and took steps to accommodate AI search, thereby improving access to information. As a result, more than 10 million people used the page during the year.
In the field of rhinitis, in fiscal 2024, Talion AR allergic rhinitis medication was reclassified from a category 1 to a category 2 medication, allowing sale by registered sellers, and the number of stores selling it increased significantly. Beginning in fiscal 2025, we launched a TV commercial featuring Bakarhythm that encouraged hay fever sufferers to self-medicate by highlighting the product’s effectiveness against nasal congestion as well as against pollen-induced nasal discharge. Moreover, as with last year, we have continued our efforts to create a pollen calendar that summarizes pollen dispersal forecasts for each area, which we made available on the brand website for this product in order to promote awareness among hay fever sufferers.
Femcare is a field focused on the care of women’s bodies and their health, and has been the focus of attention in recent years.
Since 2010, the Company has also marketed Okinazole L100 (one tablet a day for six days) for the treatment of recurrent vaginal candidiasis, and in June 2023, we began the sale of Okinazole L600, which is effective with just a single dose, making it highly convenient. Following the February 2025 launch of Medipure N, an oral medication for treating itching in sensitive areas, in October of the same year we launched Medipure ST, a topical medication containing steroids, and Medipure CR, a non-steroid topical medication with a cooling effect, with the goal of expanding our lineup of products in the femcare domain.
On the Okinazole L and Medipure brand site, we have improved pages overseen by physicians and enhanced disease awareness content and are working to further promote self-medication in femcare.
*Reference: Hifu no Koto site (Japanese language only)
URL https://hc.tanabe-pharma.com/hifunokoto/
The Group has about 300 MRs overseas who provide appropriate usage information through overseas subsidiaries in order to support the appropriate use of the Company’s pharmaceuticals. In addition to the U.S., these subsidiaries are located in Europe (U.K., Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) and in Asia (South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia). MRs involved in drug information provision activities visit medical institutions and doctors, participate in related academic conferences, exchange opinions with specialists, and provide the latest academic information. In this way, MRs are working each day to be able to contribute to the diagnosis and treatment activities of healthcare professionals.
In May 2017, our edaravone medication for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) received approval in the United States, and from August that year, we collected safety information and provided information on appropriate use to medical personnel through our US subsidiary, Tanabe Pharma America (TPA).
TPA also offers support to ALS patients through the JourneyMate Support Program. This program provides information on ALS and its treatment to patients diagnosed with ALS and their families, tailored treatment management for each patient, and insurance reimbursement support, as well as offering information from specialist staff in the US (clinical educators) after patients are prescribed edaravone.
Leveraging this experience, the Company is continuing to provide information in a responsible manner, taking the regulatory and medical environments of each country and region into account.
Although the edaravone business has since been transferred to another company, this case is included here to illustrate our track record of initiatives and systems for providing information overseas.
Main initiatives
TPA is committed to supporting patients living with ALS and their families throughout the year. As a proud national sponsor of the ALS Association’s Walk to Defeat ALS, TPA employees actively participate in events across the United States. In addition, we organize and sponsor educational initiatives – including webinars and awareness campaigns – designed to provide helpful information to individuals affected by ALS.
Through platforms such as ALS Pathways and the JourneyMate Support Program, we also offer access to reliable resources that empower patients, caregivers, and families with the knowledge they need throughout their journey.
In Asia, we are promoting efforts to bring medications for diabetes and neuropsychiatric disorders to patients quickly, focusing on Taiwan, South Korea, and ASEAN nations.
In Taiwan, we began sales of valbenazine for treatment of tardive dyskinesia and pitavastatin calcium hydrate/ezetimibe for the treatment of dyslipidemia.
In the ASEAN region, we began sales of canagliflozin for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in Thailand, and sales of mirogabalin besilate for the treatment of neuropathic pain in Indonesia.
Through these activities, we will continue to provide patients in Asia who are fighting diabetes, neuropsychiatric disorders, and other difficulties with promising treatment options.
The Company has set up the following health support websites in Japan and around the world.
This website introduces the symptoms, diagnoses, and treatments for these diseases in an easy-to-understand manner to offer as many people as possible a deeper, more correct understanding of them. It offers useful information, along with illustrations, to support the daily lives of patients and their families, while helping them gain an understanding of diseases and communicate the importance of treatment. We have also prepared leaflets that summarize the information on the health support websites so that healthcare professionals including doctors and pharmacists can present them to patients and their families.
Status of major site updates in fiscal 2025.
- Inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease / Ulcerative colitis)
We have added a bowel health check sheet as a tool to help patients discuss their bowel concerns posted within the “Check your bowel health issues” page on the SHITTOKU Café: Crohn’s Disease website.
- Vaccinations
Vaccine.net features a “Vaccine roadmap for everyone” that illustrates essential vaccinations throughout life, allowing people to check which vaccinations they should obtain by age. It also offers “Create Your Own Schedule,” which allows site visitors to enter their children's birth dates and create their own vaccination schedules.
- Tardive dyskinesia
On Searchlight: Finding and Supporting Together, we added content titled “Patient opinions,” “Patient experience videos Ver. 1–3” and “Comic adaptations of videos Ver. 1–3,” as information on tardive dyskinesia symptoms and treatment.
- Sleep disorders
Suimin Net features a “Mechanics of sleep” series intended to deepen understanding of sleep, allowing individuals to distinguish the truth in all of the information on sleep available on the internet and on social media. It gives people a forum to learn about and consider sleeping for health. New content on sleep and hypersomnia and the lifecycle has been added.
- Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum disorder
NMOSD Navi features information on diagnosis, treatment, coverage for medical costs, and explanations on neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, and introduces topics relevant to patients’ daily lives.
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Crohn’s disease
- Ulcerative colitis
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Behcet’s disease
- Spinocerebellar degeneration (SCD) and multiple system atrophy (MSA)
- Liver failure
- Sleep disorders
- Neuromyelitis optica
- Tardive dyskinesia
- Vaccines
- Eczema and dermatitis
The “Medication Information for Patients” website
To promote the appropriate use of medication and deepen patients’ knowledge and understanding, we operate the Medication Information for Patients website for patients using our ethical drugs. Patients can now use this website to obtain the latest information on our ethical drugs at any time and from any location. Additionally, this website also serves as a tool for healthcare professionals when providing information on medication for their patients.
Medication Information for Patients (Japanese language only)
https://patients.tanabe-pharma.com/
This account allows people to access the product information they want quickly and easily using a smartphone, and we will also use it to deliver the latest information on drug supply, revisions to package inserts, and other information in a timely fashion.
Note: Tanabe Pharma Medical info is intended for healthcare professionals in Japan and aims to promote the appropriate use of ethical drugs.
In February 2025, we established the Patient Supply Ordering website within the Medical View Point information website for healthcare professionals with the goal of improving convenience for these personnel. Patient supplies can be ordered from this website 24 hours a day.
The Company has established its own Medical Information Center to respond directly to inquiries from healthcare professionals (physicians, pharmacists, wholesalers, and others) and patients.
Separate from the contact point for healthcare professionals, we have opened a dedicated point of contact for patients and their families to make it easy for them to obtain advice, and are operating our Medication Information for Patients website, which offers patients and their families direct access to information on our ethical drugs.
We are working each day to improve our skills so that we identify the true needs behind the inquiries and respond in a manner that offers people who contact us a high level of satisfaction. We respond to approximately 40,000 calls a year (fiscal 2025 results) on a wide range of subjects, using basic information on pharmaceuticals and in-house Q&A to provide information on appropriate use.
Additionally, we share information on safety and quality in-house, including information received on adverse reactions, using this to enhance reliability and improve products, and leveraging it in the development of new drugs.
Prompted by the diversification of information sources and advances in digital technology, in recent years we have worked to enhance our product Q&A resources provided on our website and introduced digital channels such as our official LINE account, constructing an environment that allows people to access the information they need 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Moving forward, the center will respond flexibly to changing times and provide appropriate usage information for pharmaceuticals in a reliable, accurate, and prompt manner, contributing to patient health.
Number of inquiries received by the Medical Information Center
Subject of Inquiries to the Medical Information Center
- Toll-free guidance: Guidance to redirect consumers by providing correct contact information
Other: Non-indicated effects, pharmacokinetics, clinical studies, etc.