CSR activity report
Health
Create a healthy society through the process of prevention, diagnosis and treatment in healthcare.
[SPECIAL CONTENT] Fighting Against COVID-19
Fulfill Unmet Medical Needs (Priority Issue 1)
Outline of Activities in FY2019
Newly built liposome drug manufacturing facility
- Autologous cultured epidermis JACE® was approved for inclusion within national health insurance coverage as regenerative care for epidermolysis bullosa
- Completion of liposome drug manufacturing facility ready for commercial production for the first time in Japan.
- Started operation of Innovation Facility for Advanced Cell Therapy (i-FACT) to produce therapeutic iPS cells.
Outline of Activities in FY2018
[Target] Develop new treatment solutions
Autologous cultured epidermis JACE® (left) and autologous cultured corneal epithelium:EYE-01M (right)
Regenerative medicine
- Autologous cultured epidermis JACE® was approved for inclusion within national health insurance coverage as regenerative care for hereditary epidermolysis bullosa, a refractory genetic disease.
- Applied for manufacturing and marketing approval of autologous cultured corneal epithelium (EYE-01M), the first regenerative medical product in ophthalmic field in Japan.
- Received the Prize for Science and Technology under a FY2019 Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology for “Development of Autologous Cultured Epidermis.”
Infectious disease treatment
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Obtained an imported drug license in China for the oral synthetic quinolone antibacterial agent, which is mainly for respiratory tract infections, such as pneumonia.
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Applied for manufacturing and marketing approval in Japan for a new antibacterial agent for treatment for infectious diseases in otorhinolaryngology, such as otitis media and sinusitis.
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Launched Japan’s first oral antifungal agent miconazole ORAVI® Mucoadhesive Tablets 50 mg for oropharyngeal candidiasis treatment.
Central nervous system
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Started the phase II clinical trials of a new drug candidate that accelerates rehabilitation after strokes.
[Target] Improve accessibility to new treatment solutions
Contribution through contract development and manufacturing,
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Acquired a large-scale biologics manufacturing site from a major US biopharmaceutical*1 company, Biogen.
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Significantly shortened the development period of biopharmaceuticals down to 34 weeks, the shortest in the CDMO industry.
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Developed a high-performance and highly efficient fully integrated continuous production system that controls processes from cultivation to purification.
Contribution through development and dissemination of products that support advanced treatments
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Launched new product iCell® Microglia, an iPSC-derived neural cell type, contributing to new drug evaluation in human biology, mainly for drugs for neurological diseases, such as for Alzheimer’s diseases.
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FUJIFILM Wako Bio Solutions Corporation, our new company, started new subcontract services in new drug development support and inspection.
- *1 Biopharmaceuticals: Pharmaceutical products utilizing biological particles, such as proteins, that provide effects unachievable by conventional chemically synthesized small-molecule drugs. Such biopharmaceuticals include insulin, vaccines, and antibody drugs. Antibody drugs utilize antibodies used by the immune system to protect our bodies from abnormal organisms, such as viruses and cancer cells, by recognizing them selectively.
Improve Accessibilities to Medical Services (Priority Issue 2)
Outline of Activities in FY2019
Fujifilm Asia Pacific Healthcare Learning Academy staff
- Successfully developed an AI technology to support diagnosis of interstitial pneumonia together with Kyoto University.
- Launched SYNAPSE SAI viewer, an AI diagnosis support platform, as the first product under the brand of our medical AI technology, REiLI.
- Established the FUJIFILM Asia Pacific Healthcare Learning Academy for local medical professionals in Thailand and Malaysia.
Outline of Activities in FY2018
[Target] Expand and scale up AI & IoT technology to reduce burdens on medical staff
- Together with Kyoto University, we have successfully developed an AI technology to support diagnosis of interstitial pneumonia*2 (April 2019).
- Launched SYNAPSE SAI viewer, an AI diagnosis support platform, as the first product under the brand of our medical AI technology, REiLI (July 2019).
[Target] Market launch and scale up a novel point-of-care tuberculosis diagnostic kits in developing countries
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A highly sensitive rapid tuberculosis diagnostic kit, TB-LAM was adopted for the Phase 2 investment (FY2018 to FY2020) by the Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund, to continue its clinical trials. TB-LAM is being developed by Fujifilm with the collaborating partner FIND*3 under continuous investments from the GHIT Fund, which aims at creating innovative therapeutic drugs, vaccines, and diagnostic drugs originating in Japan to fight against infectious diseases and poverty in the developing world.
[Target] Implement a medical checkup system to help improve the medical environment in emerging countries
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Continued to carry out the FY2017 project in Brazil to promote medical collaboration in the use of remote diagnostic imaging technology funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in FY2014 (completed in March 2019).
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Convened technical workshops to provide trainings to medical staff in South Africa, Myanmar, Kirghiz, etc.
- *2 Interstitial pneumonia: A general category of lung diseases in which the lungs harden through inflammation. Causes of interstitial pneumonia vary such as pneumoconiosis caused by asbestos and idiopathic interstitial pneumonia which the cause is unknown. Idiopathic interstitial pneumonia is a designated intractable disease that is difficult to treat.
- *3 FIND (Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics): Swiss non-profit organization that helps development and spread new diagnostic techniques for infectious diseases suitable for developing countries.
Contribute to Early Disease Detection (Priority Issue 3)
Outline of Activities in FY2019
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Continued promoting CureSign*4, a remote blood test service in which a user sends selfcollected blood by post. The service is targeted mainly towards family members of health insurance association members, who are not eligible for a mandatory annual medical checkup.
- *4 CureSign: A service in which a user collects a small sample of their own blood using a blood collection kit and sends the sample to the test center by post. Within one to two weeks, the test results are returned by post. The screening items currently available are stomach cancer, stomach ulcer, duodenal ulcer, and 14 other items related to lifestyle diseases, including metabolic syndrome. Approximately 14,000 people used this service as of FY2018.
Contribute to Health Promotion and Beauty (Priority Issue 4)
Outline of Activities in FY2019
- Launched Metabarrier EX, a food with functional claims for probiotic effects and reducing sugar intake.
- Launched ASTALIFT White Shield (supplement/drink) to alleviate skin damage from UV light.
Outline of Activities in FY2018
[Target] Prolong healthy lives and support a positive state in everyday life
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Launched foods with functional claims to support improvements in lifestylerelated diseases by improving the intestinal environment and excretion, and lower LDL (bad) cholesterol.
[Target] Support women in staying healthy, beautiful, and attractive
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Developed a new and unique component, Nano-Resveratrol EX, which employs a new function of collagen that helps maintain skin firmness and resilience, and launched cosmetics with functional claims containing this component.
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Introduced a new product lineup that utilizes D-UV Guard+ developed based on our recent ultraviolet research.
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Created the big opportunity to try ASTALIFT, through a free sample giveaway campaign for 100,000 people.
Promote Management of a Healthy Workplace (Priority Issue 5)
Outline of Activities in FY2019
- Formulated the Fujifilm Group Employee Wellness Declaration.
- Set up group-wide KPIs and medium-term targets toward FY2022 in the five priority areas of lifestyle diseases, smoking, cancer, mental health, and long working hours.
Outline of Activities in FY2018
[Target] Raise cancer screening rates to 90% or more (for men/women: stomach, lungs, large intestine)
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The number of people who requested gastroendoscopies and screening for breast and gynecological cancer increased steadily. The endoscopy-specialist clinic within the company premises continually encouraged employees to take large intestine endoscopies and to utilize the clinic. The number of users in FY2018 increased to 2,206 (7% over the previous year).
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Promoted breast and gynecological cancer screening by dispatching a cancer screening cars.
[Target] Reduction in number of workdays lost
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The group-wide physical and mental health committee conducted a factor analysis concerning sick leave in order to study the signs that could indicate potential mental illness and implement countermeasures at an early stage. The committee also analyzed departmental characteristics based on stress checks and sent feedback to those departments with high risks.
[Other major activities]
- The Employee Wellness Promotion Group was inaugurated in July 2018. The entire Group, including the health insurance association, formed this structure to promote health practice by setting group-wide health management targets and standardizing measures.
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Announced the Fujifilm Group Employee Wellness Declaration in September 2019 to contribute to achieve a healthy and long life society in addition to accelerate the employee wellness initiatives.
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Listed in the “White 500,” the Certified Health and Productivity Management Organization Recognition Program for three consecutive years. Nine group companies were also listed in the program.
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Fujifilm and Fuji Xerox group companies set medium-term targets and KPIs for their health promotion plans.
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Promoted our online stop-smoking program and held walking events as a part of initiatives to address five priority areas (lifestyle diseases, smoking, cancer, mental health, and long working hours) concerning management of employee wellness.
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Identified health issues in each of the 85 group companies belonging to the Fujifilm Group Health Insurance Association, and presented a Health Report to the senior management of each company.
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Reinforced the company’s health management system for Japanese employees dispatched overseas to the same level as in Japan (since 2017). This ensured that such employees received regular health checks, and if any health risks were identified, a telephone interview and advice from a Japanese doctor were arranged.
Future Activities and Targets
We aim to be proactive in developing technologies that will enable the use of liposomes as a drug delivery system*5, utilizing our unique expertise and focusing on areas where medical needs are unmet, such as cancer, central nervous system diseases and infectious diseases. The scope of our healthcare business is wide and includes development of antibody drugs and vaccines in the currently expanding biopharmaceutical market, contract manufacturing of small-molecule drugs and regenerative medicine and cell cultures for drug development. We are also proceeding with the production of anti-aging cosmetics and food supplements with functional claims and the use of AI technology in medical IT and to support diagnoses. We are working to set separate KPIs and targets for each issue and in each area relating to employee wellness.
- *5 Drug delivery system: Technology to deliver the required amount of a drug to a specific destination at the correct time. Preparing pharmaceuticals in the form of liposomes allows the pharmaceutical to be delivered selectively to the tumor, and this can be expected to improve pharmacological efficacy and suppress adverse effects.
- * This page contains some excerpts from the Sustainability Report.