As a life sciences company, in addition to our business activities, the Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Group is engaged in a wide range of medical and welfare-related initiatives that seek to achieve a vigorous life for patients, their families, and others.

The Company subsidizes medical training that is independently planned and operated by medical societies and associations, to help improve the quality of medical care offered in Japan through better literacy in patients and healthcare professionals, and in 2021 the Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Medical Educational Subsidy was established. In addition to the educational activities sought in the renal field in fiscal 2021^*1, in fiscal 2022, we provided grants for education in the central nervous system field^*2, with a total of 7 million yen of assistance for three projects, and a total of 11 million yen for four projects in the renal field.

For further information about the supported projects and eligible organizations please refer to the Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Medical Educational Subsidy website. (https://www.mt-pharma.co.jp/sustainability/educational_subsidy.html) (Japanese language only).

For details about grant recipients and other information, please see the page "Support activities for patient groups with intractable diseases." (Japanese language only)

Achievements in fiscal 2022

July 2022 “Tips for working with IBD — Job seekers”
November 2022 “Tips for working with IBD — New ways of working and living”
March 2022 “Tips for working with IBD — New ways of working and living Part 2”

We also offer information on a website for IBD patients, which can be viewed here.

Health support websites:

• “Shittoku Café” Crohn’s disease website　https://www.remicare.jp/cd/ (Japanese language only)
• “Shittoku Café” Ulcerative colitis website　https://www.remicare.jp/uc/ (Japanese language only)

“World IBD Day” Web-based public lecture held on May 19

To facilitate understanding of IBD, May 19 of every year has been designated “World IBD Day,” in an effort to bring together the estimated 5 to 10 million people around the world who suffer from Crohn’s disease or ulcerative so that they can encourage other, and to promote the correct understanding of these intractable ailments. In fiscal 2022, these efforts were themed on balancing work and medical treatment, with two patients sharing their experiences, and appearances from doctors and businesspeople who offer their support to patients, creating an opportunity to learn about working styles.
（https://www.mt-pharma.co.jp/news/2023/info230425.html） (Japanese language only)

The Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Group sponsored an event to promote awareness of ALS, held by the Yamaguchi Prefecture-based Renofa Yamaguchi FC J-League team at the July 10 match between Renofa Yamaguchi FC and Albirex Niigata. 35 employees from the Onoda office (among others) participated as volunteers at the event.

At the ALS Action Day, the families of four ALS patients were invited to the stadium to watch the game, while one patient who was unable to attend in person participated in a stadium tour remotely using the “OriHime” avatar robot, supported by employees from the Group who were attending as volunteers.
Before the match, we provided approximately 400 servings of baked goods prepared by students enrolled in the cooking course at Nakamura Girls’ High School from recipes for easy-to-swallow food included in “ALS World Trip Restaurant” available on “ALS Station” website (https://als-station.jp) using locally-sourced ingredients. These goods were available at the ALS Awareness booth outside the venue. We also held an event at which ALS patients were able to try a device that allowed them to enter letters with their eyes to communicate their thoughts; at this event, they used these devices to send messages of support to ALS patients and J-League players. The baked goods made by the students of Nakamura Girls’ High School raised 46,972 yen in donations, with all proceeds given to the ALS Association of Japan.

There were also charity goods from WITH ALS on sale, and an exchange event between Mr. Masatane Muto, Director of WITH ALS and himself a sufferer of ALS. At half-time, Mr. Muto gave a DJ performance using eye-tracking, and the corporate character “Tanamin” livened up the show.

This event proved to be the kind of initiative that is crucial to a supportive society, with our volunteers, Renofa Yamaguchi, the Japan ALS Association, Nakamura Girls’ High School, and other regional and cross-industry organizations bringing their respective expertise and knowledge to bear in working towards a single goal.
Going forward, in addition to our business activities, we will proactively engage in activities in which employees participate in cooperation with local communities as they endeavor to solve a range of social issues, including efforts to promote disease awareness in support of patients and their families.

Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America (MTPA) has been supporting patients and their families to fight intractable diseases through various initiatives.

Sponsorship and participation in charity and walking events

Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America (MTPA) co-sponsors and participates in various charity and walking events to raise awareness and recognition of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
In fiscal 2022, we co-sponsored and participated in 25 fundraising events. These events raise awareness and recognition of ALS and serve to bring ALS patients together to fight against the disease. They also offer opportunities for patients, families, and caregivers to learn about ALS. Through these sponsorships, we support regional and national programs and services such as fundraising events for ALS research, patient education, transportation to and from hospital, respite care^*, and support activities at the state and national level.

*Respite care refers to care that allows caregivers to temporarily take time out from their duties for rest and recuperation.

Support for educational activities

MTPA supports 37 educational activities and ongoing efforts that provide educational tools to patients with ALS and Parkinson’s disease, and those with the rare diseases erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) and X-linked protoporphyria (XLP), as well as to their families, in order to raise awareness of these illnesses. While working with the patient support community, with the same sense of mission, through this support, we are raising awareness of the diseases and providing education on them to patients and caregivers, creating an environment that alleviates the burden on the lives of patients and their families. In fiscal 2022, we held education symposiums, mental health support, caregiver programs, and meetings of patient organizations, as well as disease education support for young professional groups.

Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Korea (MTPK) sponsored and took part in the “Route Challenge” walking event (June 21-July 20, 2022), in which ALS patients, their families, and volunteers walked together to support patients and raise awareness of Lou Gehrig’s disease. The Route Challenge is a charity event in which cooperating businesses offer donations reflecting the number of steps participants walk. Approximately 48,000 people participated over the course of a month, with around 50 MTPK employees taking part. We hope that our participation will give us the opportunity to gain an understanding of the difficulties that patients fighting Lou Gehrig’s disease face, while at the same time deepening awareness and understanding of the disease in patients and their families.

• *Called “Lou Gehrig’s Disease” after the American professional baseball player Lou Gehrig, who suffered from it. The medical name for this disease is “amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.”

Through support for NPOs, etc., we engage in activities to assist children battling illnesses, along with their families.

Children’s Hospices are facilities that provide children faced with life-threatening illnesses, along with their families, opportunities to learn and play, offering them the close relationship of a friend. However, there are only two such facilities in all of Japan that are not attached to hospitals, one each in the cities of Osaka and Yokohama. By participating in charity events and offering assistance through volunteering, we support the Yokohama Children’s Hospice and TSURUMI Children’s Hospice.

The Tokyo Yamathon was held on October 22, 2022, by International Volunteer Group Japan. All fees for participating in this event were donated to the Yokohama Children’s Hospice Project. Although this was the first time in three years that the Yamathon had been held due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as in previous years, the event was attended by many foreign residents of Japan, lending it an exotic air that added to the excitement. In addition to our employees participating, on the day we provided 1,000 bottles of our Aspara drink to participants.

*The Tokyo Yamathon is a fundraising event in which teams of two to four people walk to all or half of the stations on the JR Yamanote train line within a 12-hour period.

Since 2014, the Company has co-sponsored the Osaka Great Santa Run charity event for children suffering from illnesses.
Blessed by clear skies, the Osaka Great Santa Run was held for the first time in three years on November 27, 2022. Lined with beautifully colored gingko trees, the course runs through Osaka Park, with participants donning Santa costumes to enjoy running or walking at their own pace for approximately four kilometers.
We supplied 2,000 Aspara drinks, with ten of our employees and their families volunteering to distribute them. They greeted runners at the goal line while handing out drinks, which were very well received in the warm humidity of the day.

TFT is a social contribution activity that originated in Japan. It is aimed at simultaneously resolving the problems of hunger in developing countries and the problems of obesity and lifestyle-related diseases in industrially developed countries. At the employee cafeterias, when employees eat low-calorie meals that help prevent obesity, through TABLE FOR TWO International, 20 yen of the price is allocated to the cost of school meals in developing countries, such as countries in Africa and Asia. Twenty yen is the amount of money needed to provide one meal in a developing country.

In 2014, we introduced the TFT Program at the employee cafeteria at the headquarters office. Also, at offices, we have installed TFT vending machines, and a portion of the sales of drinks purchased from these machines is used to provide meals for children in developing countries. Employees have given high evaluations to this initiative, in which they can readily participate, and which enables children in developing countries and employees to improve their health at the same time. In fiscal 2022,90,944 yen was donated, and the cumulative total donated since the start of the activity reached 1,400,000 yen.

The school meals that are provided through donations are expected not only to help solve hunger among children but also to increase school attendance rates and grades, lead to gains in the children’s fundamental strength, and help prevent disease. In this way, these meals are playing an important role in helping to eliminate poverty. Moving forward, we will continue this initiative to help solve hunger and poverty among children in developing countries.

*TFT　（https://jp.tablefor2.org/）