Pharmaceutical products are truly valuable when they are used correctly in the medical field and delivered to people suffering from illnesses. In addition to offering and collecting accurate evidence-based information, we conduct activities that provide academic information based on market research, analyses, and other studies to deliver treatment options that are suited to patients' needs and community characteristics. By promoting the appropriate use of pharmaceuticals from a patient-centered perspective, we work together with healthcare professionals to realize the well-being of patients and their families.
System for the promptly and appropriate provision of medical and scientific information
MRs in primary areas strive to establish a sales structure based on units of medical areas that enable more community-based local activities and team management in which each area collaborates with each other. By separating MRs in the oncology field into teams focused on lung cancer and renal cell cancer, as well as teams focused on gastrointestinal cancer and hematological cancer, we are improving expertise and enhancing the quality and quantity of the information we provide to medical professionals.
In addition, we have assigned remote communication MRs to come up with ways to respond to diversifying information needs. In order to promote appropriate use, we also provide academic information through live online seminars, academic symposiums, and regional lectures.
The Medical Affairs Division strives to maximize the value of pharmaceutical products (i.e., drug fostering and evolution) by first acquiring a high level of expertise and academic knowledge in each of the oncology and primary fields, then identifying unmet needs and clinical questions through scientific exchanges with medical professionals, mainly external medical experts, and solving them by generating data, providing information, conducting awareness-raising activities, etc.
Utilizing Digital Technology to Strengthen the Information Delivery System
Nowadays, the information acquisition channels available to medical professionals are becoming increasingly diverse. That is why we are promoting information provision via omnichannel that links the various real and digital channels based on accumulated data.
Some examples of how we are utilizing digital technology include using artificial intelligence (AI) to suggest providing academic information that is suitable for each medical professional, as well as promoting free access to Ae-NAVI, a medical care support tool for medical professionals. In addition, with marketing automation, we are also moving forward with automating the provision of information in a manner that is appropriate for how healthcare professionals come into contact with digital content.
Efforts to Better Understand & Support Patients
We regularly hold "Patient voice sharing meetings" for our employees and invite patients to attend. These meetings allow us to deepen our understanding of the various problems that patients face, not only in the physical sense but also in the psychological and social sense, which in turn promotes better communication with medical professionals.
In addition, when information is provided, we also gain information on adverse effects, which is vital data that has a direct correlation to patients’ lives. We offer a variety of tools to help manage adverse effects. For example, patients receiving treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors have trouble effectively communicating their condition to health care providers, and health care providers are concerned about detecting changes in their patients' conditions as early as possible. To address these issues, we started operating our "FukuSapo®" app, an app that manages adverse effects, on a nation-wide scale. We use this app to encourage more smooth and open communication between patients and healthcare professionals, which in turn helps to detect immune-related adverse events early so that healthcare professionals can respond to them in an appropriate manner.
The side-effect management application”FukuSapo®”
FukuSapo® is a user-friendly adverse effect management app that was developed for patients receiving treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors. We are currently working to introduce the app at several medical institutions across Japan.