Read the full story with photos at:
https://www.otsuka.co.jp/en/company/globalnews/2015/0130_01.html
Mr. Daesik Eom, Senior Operating Officer at Otsuka Pharmaceutical was invited to speak at the University of Michigan’s 25th Asia Business Conference in US which has brought leaders of Asia and multinational companies together to discuss, debate, and dialogue about trends in Asia.
Otsuka Pharmaceutical was invited among other world class companies to be part of the conference because of its successful and sound global business recognized in the US as well as throughout the Asia-Pacific countries.
Past conferences have featured speakers from multinational corporations such as Google, Yahoo, Ford Motors, Logic Solutions, DoCoMo, Merrill Lynch, Johnson & Johnson, Mitsubishi Motors, General Motors, Shell, Nike, Satyam, Morgan Stanley, Dow Chemical, Baxter Healthcare and Pfizer.
Mr. Eom spoke at one of the regional panels on Japan, introducing Otsuka Pharmaceutical as a global company with a goal of “creating new products for better health worldwide”
Born in South Korea, he graduated from the Department of Forest Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, at Seoul National University. He then joined Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
At the age of 35, he became President and Representative Director of Korea Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. He was the youngest president for a pharmaceutical company in Korea at that time. Accomplished a great achievement in Korea, he moved to Japan and works for Otsuka Pharmaceutical as his current position in Japan.
Read the full story with photos at:
https://www.otsuka.co.jp/en/company/globalnews/2015/0129_01.html
FoodState is a whole food supplement company based in Derry, New Hampshire. Since its founding in 1973, FoodState has become an innovator in whole food based supplements and has been recognized for great products and strong brands in the natural and healthcare practitioner channels.
One aspect that sets FoodState apart from the competition is its approach to creating nutrients by starting with fresh or frozen whole foods - the focus of its leading brands, MegaFoodTM and INNATE Response FormulasTM.
For MegaFoodTM, everything starts with real farm-fresh fruits, vegetables and botanicals that are used as the base for the brand’s dietary supplements. The tagline “fresh from farm to tablet” means fresh and local foods are sourced from trusted farmers, and then the nutrients and wholesome supplements are made using a one-of-a-kind, proprietary Slo-Food ProcessTM.
As part of this unique approach, FoodState’s MegaFoodTM and INNATE Response FormulasTM, are recognized leaders in their respective channels and known for several key differentiators, including partnering with organic and sustainable farms to source fresh and local foods, and purchasing approximately 500,000 pounds of produce a year from farmers.
FoodState mills and purees whole foods, then integrates additional nutrients to guarantee potency levels. This integration of whole foods and individual nutrients is then dried with the utmost care using refractance window drying technology, also part of the Slo-Food ProcessTM.
The Slo-Food ProcessTM is a slower way of making whole food supplements. It can take 236 hours to make just one batch of finished product. Each and every step, from farm to tablet, was designed with one ultimate goal in mind—to create supplements that make a noticeable difference on consumers’ journey toward optimal health while staying true to the intention of food.
The FoodState team hand crafts each and every product in their own facility right down to the hand-packing of bottles for shipment.
Read the full story with photos at:
https://www.otsuka.co.jp/en/company/globalnews/2015/0121_01.html
Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. (OAPI), its alliance partner Lundbeck, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and the National Council for Behavioral Health joined in two years ago to organizeConnect 4 Mental Health®. It is an initiative that aims to help communities throughout the United States implement local approaches that provide additional support for those with serious mental illness.
Connect 4 Mental Health (C4MH) encourages community-based organizations, such as emergency services, law enforcement, and public housing, to work with mental healthcare providers and advocates to develop programs that support the estimated 6% of Americans living with serious mental illness.
“Our hope is that Connect 4 Mental Health will ignite a movement inspiring individuals and organizations to collaborate in order to help improve the lives of people with mental illness, one community at a time,” said Donna Erwin, Director, Advocacy and Policy, OAPI.
C4MH has identified four areas of focus that may help communities address mental illness locally: 1) Early Intervention, 2) Creative Use of Technology, 3) Integration of Services, and 4) Continuity of Care.
To recognize organizations that have shown good examples of work in these areas, C4MH implemented a ‘Community Innovation Awards’ program. Winners received a 10,000 USD award and access to a one-on-one mentorship program.
The winning organizations chosen for the 2014 awards:
Early Intervention: NAMI of Collier County (Naples, Florida)
Creative Use of Technology: Crisis Text Line (New York City)
Continuity of Care: Charleston Dorchester Mental Health Center (Charleston & Summerville, South Carolina)
Service Integration: Robert Young Center (Moline, Illinois)
Read the full story with photos at:
https://www.otsuka.co.jp/en/company/globalnews/2015/0116_02.html
Infectious disease experts from around the world gathered in Okinawa, Japan in mid-January for the second Nikkei Asian Infectious Diseases conference. Otsuka signaled its ongoing commitment to the fight against TB by again co-sponsoring the conference.
Asia, which accounts for more than two-thirds of the world’s TB burden, clearly must be at the center of the goal to defeat TB globally. The introduction of a new drug for multidrug-resistant TB, as well as1new technologies to diagnose TB and its drug-resistant strains, are perceived as potential “game changers” in the fight against TB in the region.
However, one prominent specialist present noted that a badly designed MDR-TB program may actually cause more harm than having no program at all, citing the need for high-quality drug sensitivity testing and precise follow-up with patients.
This mixture of new optimism and renewed concern about TB prompted the event organizers to select TB as a key theme of the conference.
Hiroshi Ishikawa, Ph.D. (right) Fellow, Medicinal Chemistry at Otsuka, who was one of the key members of the Otsuka team that developed the drug delamanid, spoke with stirring passion at the conference about the scale of the challenge involved in creating a new TB drug. It included the study of over 14,000 compounds across two decades, something that a single chemist could not hope to accomplish in 100 years.
With an eye toward the future he noted that TB drug development will need to be simpler to reduce costs and facilitate broader access by patients.
Dr. Ishikawa also drew the attention of the audience to broader issues in the fight against TB. One is the need for improved diagnostics, especially kits that can rapidly measure TB bacilli susceptibility to drugs and biomarkers that can differentiate active from latent cases.
Max Yoshitake (left), Leader, Global TB Team was called on by one of the session moderators for his insights on issues such as latent TB, which is present in over 30% of the world’s population. Mr. Yoshitake noted that one important challenge for Otsuka and others will be to shorten the duration of treatment to just a couple of months.
Overall, a sense of cautious optimism filled the conference room. This was suggested by the nearly 45% decline in the TB mortality from 1990 to 2013, partly due to the DOTS (Directly Observed Treat Short Course) and Stop TB strategies. Looking forward, new diagnostics and drugs to treat the most difficult forms of the disease also hold promise. But no one was ready to say that the victory over TB, a disease as old as humanity itself, is near at hand.
Read the full story with photos at:
https://www.otsuka.co.jp/en/company/globalnews/2015/0116_01.html
Otsuka Pharmaceutical Europe Ltd. (OPEL) has been recognized by Cambridge University as an employer that positively encourages diversity, integrity and innovation by encouraging our employees to be creative and to think unconventionally.
During the ‘Employers of Choice’ selection process, Cambridge University shortlisted 60 employers out of 400, focusing on their commitment to a set of procedures and values including: engagement; talent management; providing opportunities for learning & development; diversity; a commitment to wellness and sustainability, governance and transparency.
Otsuka Europe’s selection as an ‘Employers of Choice’ by the University has resulted in an article entitled ‘The secret to nurturing fruitful growth – dare to be different’ in the prestigious ‘Cambridge: Inspiring Leadership & Innovation’ publication.
This publication is widely circulated, both in a printed and e-book format, to over 20,000 Cambridge students, members of the Cambridge Alumni association, UK and government departments, more than 30,000 educational establishments, 17,000 higher and further education institutions worldwide, international accreditation bodies and other global business audiences.
This article focuses on Otsuka’s history and growth, our creative and innovative approach, as well as, highlighting some of the key differences between Otsuka and other pharmaceutical and nutraceutical companies.
‘We’ve never been afraid to do things differently, which sets us apart in the marketplace and helps us stand out.’ Ole Vahlgren, CEO & President – Otsuka Europe.