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https://www.otsuka.co.jp/en/company/globalnews/2013/0926_01.html
Pharmavite began an educational effort with the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) more than 10 years ago when it recognized the potential of partnering with a national medical organization with more than 110,000 physicians members. The opportunity was to provide science-based dietary supplement information on the products that were part of the Nature Made brand. The reach of the family physician is broad with, nearly 1 in 4 doctor visits in the United States being made to a family physician.
Four years ago, Pharmavite became a founding partner of a new AAFP education initiative to bring the Nature Made’s science based messages to family physicians. Overall support from the AAFP leadership and response from the AAFP membership to the dietary supplement education programs has been overwhelmingly positive.
On September 26, 2013, Doug MacLean, Pharmavite’s CEO, accepted the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation’s Outstanding Service Award on behalf of Pharmavite at the AAFP Foundation Dinner. It is the Academy’s highest recognition for vendors, suppliers and companies that support the medical profession or their employees.
“The depth of this honor is that the nominations are made by the AAFP state chapters, members and staff to the AAFP Board of Directors,” said Doug MacLean. “It speaks to the strength of the relationship between our two organizations and our common vision of optimizing health and wellness for individuals, our communities and people around the world.”
The 11th year will break new ground with Pharmavite’s creation of an initiative called Nature Made Cares About Family Medicine. It is designed to raise funds to support Family Medicine Cares, the AAFP Foundation’s humanitarian program to establish new free medical clinics. The initiative encourages physician engagement with and education about dietary supplements with patients.
“The Nature Made Cares About Family Medicine program adds a new dimension to Pharmavite’s support of the Foundation’s work,” said Craig Doane, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at the AAFP. “We know our members place a high value on the humanitarian efforts of the organization, and they consistently request and need patient education materials for their day-to-day practice. The innovative design of this new program allows both goals to be achieved.” Nature Made Cares About Family Medicine is a part of Pharmavite’s strategic partnership with the AAFP. The partnership allows Nature Made to reach AAFP’s physician members with Nature Made brand information and dietary supplement-focused educational materials.
Read the full story with photos at:
https://www.otsuka.co.jp/en/company/globalnews/2013/0908_01.html
Otsuka continued its active participation in APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) events at the Policy Partnership on Women and the Economy (PPWE) 2013 Forum, which brought together 800 delegates from 21 member economies in Bali, Indonesia, September 6-8. The PPWE provides a mechanism to integrate gender considerations into APEC activities.
This year’s forum was themed “Women as Economic Drivers” and it addressed how women can advance economic activity across APEC. The forum was opened by Linda Amalia Sari Gumelar, Indonesian Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection. She stressed the need for women to fulfill their potential in the Indonesian economy in which women own 60% of microbusinesses, a sector generating more than 50% of GDP.
The panel on Infrastructure and Human Capital was moderated by Ms. Akiko Ryu, Senior Operating Officer, Global Head of Public Relations Department, Otsuka Pharmaceutical, Co., Ltd.. The development of soft and hard infrastructure to help women access information to gain knowledge and thereby contribute to the economy development was discussed. Ms. Ryu raised important questions on the kinds of human capital challenges to overcome to advance women in entrepreneurship and in other forms of work, particularly in rural areas.
Ms. Ryu moderated the session that brought together the Minister of Council of Economic
Planning and Development of Chinese Taipei,Chung Ming Kuan; the CEO of Martha Tilaar Group,
Martha Tilaar; Executive Director of GAP Inc. PACE USA, Dotti Hatcher; Managing Director Tupperware Indonesia, Nining Pernama; and Senior Manager for Global HR Unicharm Japan, Miyako Sasaki. The session concluded that there was an urgent need to build supporting infrastructure and develop skills to enhance women’s economic productivity.
Numerous other women leaders from Indonesia and other APEC member countries addressed the forum. Japanese Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety Minister of State for Measures for Declining Birthrate Minister of State for Gender Equality, Masako Mori spoke on the importance of diversity, including female workforce participation, as a growth driver. She also spoke on the central importance of women's success and advancement in Japan to the government's revitalization strategy.
The mayor of Yokohama Japan, Fumiko Hayashi noted in her speech that through cooperation of the private sector, in Yokohama essentially no children need to wait at home at the end of the day for their working mothers to return. The mayor added, “In order to change the social structure, we need to reform our consciousness by deeper utilization of women's perspectives. A more diversified society in which women play active leadership roles will enrich and vitalize our economy and country.
Participants from the Otsuka Group in Indonesia interacted with other women leaders from around the globe and commented that the event reinforced the importance of taking into account each individual’s personal initiatives when making decisions as a useful way to implement the values of diversity.
Read the full story with photos at:
https://www.otsuka.co.jp/en/company/globalnews/2013/0901_01.html
A new omugi (barley) brand was launched today across Japan. The Omugi Seikatsu*2 products include Omugi Crackers, two flavors of Omugi Rice and two flavors of Omugi Soup and they are available in supermarkets, drug stores and convenience stores in Japan.
Omugi Crackers can be eaten with cheese or crushed into yoghurt or eaten plain. To prepare Omugi Rice that contains 3,000 mg omugi beta-glucans, just microwave the packet for 2 minutes. And add hot water to Omugi Soup mixture for a cup of tasty and hearty soup.
The scientific community has been exploring the benefits of omugi, which is rich in omugi beta-glucans, a type of water soluble fiber. At a press seminar held earlier, Professor Sachie Ikegami, Emeritus Professor at Otsuma Women’s University spoke about prevention of lifestyle diseases by eating omugi products. She explained that this water soluble fiber has multiple health benefits such as lowering risk of heart disease.
Professor Ikegami has been researching the benefits of omugi for over 30 years when nobody had any interest in Japan. She said now there’s more interest because researches have shown that omugi beta-glucans slow down the absorption of sugar in the body, therefore reducing the rise in blood glucose levels after meals, making it hard for people to get fat. She said omugi beta-glucans also lower cholesterol level and help people become regular. She said barley grains contain 20 times more fiber than white rice grains/100 g.
In the US, the Food and Drug Administration recommends people to take 3,000 mg of beta-glucans daily for health maintenance, such as lowering the risk of coronary heart disease. And according to the European Food Safety Authority’s Scientific Opinion, consumption of 3,000 mg or more of omugi beta-glucans lowers blood cholesterol and reduces risk of (coronary) heart disease.
Professor Ikegami said, “It is very hard to create a food product that contains 3,000 mg of omugi beta-glucans, so I am excited to see that Otsuka has taken the lead to do so.”
For more information in Japanese, click here: http://www.otsuka.co.jp/product/omugi/