News Releases
Greetings from the President
January 30, 2006
Happy New Year to all.
Amid a series of the healthcare system reform, the NHI price revision in April this year is expected to be a large deduction, including the additional price reduction on long-listed products from a view of suppresion of drug expenditure. The environment for the pharmaceutical companies will continue being severe. Our Group has disclosed the mid-term management plan since 2004, aiming lean management that enables us to respond to the environmental changes. The Group has completed the priority issue of reorganization, such as creating subsidiaries, and is making good progress with our principal strategy, "emphasizing profits together with continuous investment for future growth." Although we still have a lot of work to do to counter the difficult business environment of our industry, the Mochida Pharmaceutical Group is holding steadfast as a company needed to patients and healthcare professionals.
This fiscal year, we maintained strong sales of our lipid-lowering drug Epadel and our antihypertensive drug Atelec as a result of steady promotional acitivities in our fields of specialization: cardiovascular, obstetrics and gynecology, dermatology, and emergency medical care.
In addition to strengthening in-house training and education, the Group is reinforcing our compliance system to thoroughly abide by all laws such as the Act on the Protection of Personal Information that came into full force last year and the promotion code, and to safeguard intellectual property and business secrets as defined in recent revisions to the Unfair Competition Prevention Law. Further, we also ensure safety and quality in strict accordance with the revised Pharmaceutical Affairs Law, which is initiated by our Quality Assurance Division.
In November, the results of the large-scale, long-term clinical trial of our lipid-lowering drug, Epadel, were presented at the academic conference of the American Heart Association (AHA)--the worlds leading organization in cardiovascular disease research. This presentation was given at the Late-Breaking Clinical Trials Session, and attracted international attention.
This summer, the Group will launch a new diagnositc reagent for obstetrics and gynecology, the world's first urinary HCG reagent that can simultaneously detect normal and abnormal pregnancies, including ectopic pregnancy.
Mochida Siemens Medical Systems Co., Ltd. has added two brands of Siemens' world-acclaimed high-end ultrasound diagnostic equipment – SONOLINE and ACUSON – to its product lineup. We also released last July an intermediate-class ultrasonograph, SONOVISTA G40, which is capable of high-resolution imaging, and we will release SONOVISTA G60 S featuring high-performance 4D full-digital imaging at the beginning of next month. The company also established a new call center to respond more promptly to the needs of on-site medical professionals, leading to greater business efficiencies. Mochida Siemens Medical Systems will continue to offer customers a complete range of equipment and software in the field of obstetrics and gynecology where we have long held-high market share, and will offer products for the field of internal medicine and cardiovascular.
At Mochida Healthcare Co., Ltd., sales of Collage Furfur, a shampoo that suppresses the growth of dandruff-causing fungal infection, continued to increase. Last year, Japan's first hypoallergenic, medicated skin-whitening cosmetics, the Collage Whitening that includes 5 products, such as lotion and serum. Next month, Mochida Healthcare will launch its Collage Furfur Liquid Soap - Japan's first medicated liquid soap with an antimicrobial effect against both bacteria and fungi. This year, the company will release more new innovative skin-care products by drawing on the know-how accumulated in the field of pharmaceutical development.
Our drug development program is making steady progress in our focused 4 fields. The Group will file 2 NDAs this year: an immune response modifier, "imiquimod," Japan's first topical treatment for external genital warts, and a new type of endometriosis treatment, "dienogest". Further, our Research Center endeavors to produce novel compounds that meet worldwide medical needs. We intend to license out an antithrombotic agent, FXa inhibitor and a humanized GPVI antibody which is expected to be indicated for coronary artery disease. A presentation was made at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology last December on how the drug could suppress thrombogenesis without activating platelets, drawing attention to its potential as an antiplatelet agent with a lower risk of bleeding.
Mochida Pharmaceutical Plant Co., Ltd. inaugurated operations last April and is gearing up for full-scale operations. It has already established a highly reliable, efficient production system for commissioned manufacturing, combining state-of-the-art facilities and the latest technologies designed to meet European and American GMP requirements.
Mochida Pharmaceutical Group aims to become a comprehensive healthcare company, achieving vigorous growth of its pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, and healthcare businesses, and forging new areas of business By embodying our corporate principle of "farsighted creativity", together with mutual cooperation between our group companies, we will counter the challenges that lie ahead.
I would like to thank you in advance for your continued support and encouragement this coming year.
Warmest Regards,
Naoyuki Mochida
President