Basic stance
The Kyorin Group’s Charter of Corporate Conduct calls for it to “actively co-exist with society as a good corporate citizen and to contribute to society’s development.” To those ends, and to conduct sustainable corporate activities, we believe that strengthening our relationships with various stakeholders through dialogue is essential.
As we strive to contribute to society by developing and supplying new drugs that meet medical needs and offer high value, we will endeavor to provide medical practitioners and patients with useful information, benefit the local communities that form the foundation for our business activities, promote partnerships with suppliers and business partners, and enhance engagement with employees.
We will also promptly and appropriately disclose information, create opportunities for high quality dialogue with investors, and strive to better reflect the perspectives of our stakeholders in our management while emphasizing communication with them, aiming to be a company that fulfills social responsibilities.
Contributing to better health of people around the world through collaboration with partners (enhancing medical access)
We aim to contribute to the health of patients around the globe by proactively implementing partnering activities for out-licensed products discovered in-house. At present, we have licensees selling Vibegron and Imidafenacin in Southeast Asia and Central and South America.
Providing information to medical practitioners
Promoting appropriate use of pharmaceuticals
Although concerns that the incorrect use of pharmaceuticals can harm a patient’s health exist, there are also cases of side effects appearing even if the pharmaceuticals are used correctly. We strive to quickly provide medical practitioners with accurate information for the appropriate use of pharmaceutical products to ensure they are used safely and effectively.
We also collect information on products’ efficacy and safety from medical facilities that use our products and convey the results of the analysis and evaluation of that information to medical practitioners.
Following our sense of mission to contribute to people’s health, we act according to high ethical standards and conduct business in strict compliance with relevant laws and regulations, guidelines, industry rules, and internal guidelines including our Charter of Corporate Conduct.
Responding to drug inquiries
We consider it our responsibility to provide reliable drug information that is both fair and impartial in response to inquiries from patients and medical practitioners. By fulfilling this responsibility, we are promoting the appropriate use of safe and effective pharmaceutical products. To accomplish this mission, we established the Drug Information Center to respond to a broad range of inquiries.
When answering inquiries related to pharmaceutical product information, we aim to provide consistent, appropriate, and accurate information, and are continuously working to improve our ability to respond with the latest objective, factual data.
We also collect and analyze data related to product information and inquiries to provide patients and medical practitioners with high-quality replies. In addition to providing concise, swift, and accurate answers, this framework facilitates the analysis of patients’ and medical practitioners’ needs, information that is useful in product life-cycle management.
* Number of inquiries: Approximately 23,500 (fiscal 2024)
Providing information to medical practitioners
Public website for medical practitioners
We strive to meet the information needs of medical practitioners by posting product-related information, the latest academic information, and other information useful in daily medical care on Kyorin Medical Bridge and other websites for medical practitioners.
Providing information via “Doctor Salon”
We sponsor “Doctor Salon,” a radio program for physicians on Radio NIKKEI that answers questions related to day-to-day clinical practice from general practitioners across Japan. In addition, the program’s content is distributed as a brochure with back issues available on a website, and an audio version is distributed as a podcast.
Providing information about disease
We assist medical practitioners in creating disease information tools for informed consent from patients, with the aim of helping patients correctly understand disease and improving their quality of life (QOL).
Collaborating with medical practitioners
Supporting the Department of Drug Discovery Medicine
helped establish and support the Department of Drug Discovery Medicine at the Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine to cultivate innovative human resources for Japan’s drug discovery through cooperation between industry and academia.
Supporting the Medical Education Grants Program
We contribute to the improvement of quality in medical care by creating educational opportunities for medical practitioners and improving their knowledge and skills through support for the medical education program planned and managed by the Japanese Society of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Inc.
Supporting the Investigator Initiated Studies Program
This program provides support for researcher-led medical research with the aims of advancing medical and pharmaceutical science related to corporate activities and improving medical treatment.
Providing information to patients and their families
Course for the general public
In June 2023, we held a course for the general public on concerns about prolonged coughing and how to deal with it to help the general public better understand the disease.
Public website for patients
On our website for patients and their families, we post useful information such as material about diseases and advice on proper ways to take medicine to increase patients’ adherence to guidelines.
- Product websites for patients undergoing treatment with our products
- Chronic Cough Navi(Open new window)
- “Guide to Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease,” “Intractable Disease Subsidy System for Patients with Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn’s Disease”(Open new window)
- Interstitial Cystitis Square(Open new window)
Milton brand official account
On the official Instagram and TikTok accounts for the Milton brand, we provide product information and other useful material for people raising children or expecting children.
Living in harmony with local communities
Classroom visits
Since fiscal 2017, we have visited elementary and junior high school classrooms nationwide to teach and demonstrate to the children representing the next generation the correct ways of taking medicine and washing their hands (through both face-to-face and online classes).
Work experience programs
To deepen public understanding of pharmaceutical companies and pharmaceuticals, every Group business facility offers working experience. For junior and senior high school students, those facilities provide workplace tours and arrange hands-on workshops.
Supporting a hands-on science event for children
The Kyorin Group has supported the “Kyorin Group Presents the Great Adventure for the Karada-no-Himitsu (the Body’s Secrets)” program since 2016, with the idea of supporting healthy lives for children, who will lead the next generation.
We have also launched the event-linked website Teach Me—Doctors Explain the Great Adventure for the Karada-no-Himitsu, which provides videos for children from kindergarten through early elementary school age that describe the body’s workings and explain diseases to deepen their interest and motivate them to learn more.
Local cleanup activities
As a responsible member of the local community, the Group actively participates in cleanups of local districts, including the areas around its business facilities.
- Group companies (head offices, branches, plants, research centers): cleanup activities around business facilities
- Noshiro Plant: Cleanup activities around Noshiro City Hall, along the Chuwa Dori ginkgo tree street, and at sites after a fireworks display; participation in the Akita Sea Waste Zero Project
- Inami Plant: Cleanup activities at Zuisenji Temple
- Shiga Plant: Participation in prefectural government-promoted environmental beautification activities in the Koka district of Shiga Prefecture, in the “Lake Biwa Beautification Campaign” in cleanup activities around the plant
Donations to areas affected by natural disasters
As useful support for those affected by disasters, the Group provided relief goods.
- Support for those affected by heavy rains caused by Typhoon No. 10 in August 2024: Environmental hygiene supplies (Rubysta)
- Support for those affected by heavy rains in Noto in September 2024: Environmental hygiene supplies (towels, cotton work gloves)
- Support for those affected by heavy rains caused by a seasonal rain front and Typhoon No. 2 in June 2023: Environmental hygiene supplies (Rubysta, Noahtect® Pro)
- Support for those affected by heavy rains in northern Kyushu caused by a seasonal rain front in July 2023: Environmental hygiene supplies (Milton, Noahtect)
- Support for those affected by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake in January 2024: Environmental hygiene supplies (Rubysta, Milton, Milton moisturizing hand disinfectant gel) and donation of ¥10 million via the Japanese Red Cross Society
- Support for those affected by heavy rains in the Hokuriku region in August 2022: Environmental hygiene supplies (Rubysta)
- Support for those affected by heavy rains in Aomori Prefecture in August 2022: Environmental hygiene supplies (Rubysta, Milton)
First-aid and lifesaving courses for employees
Group employees including approximately 600 Kyorin medical representatives received training on the need for first aid, CPR, the use of AEDs, and ways to stop bleeding.
Dialogue with shareholders and investors
Constructive dialogue
We recognize that constructive dialogue with shareholders and investors contributes to the sustainable growth of the Company and the improvement of the medium- and long-term value. Therefore, in addition to meetings between IR staff and institutional investors, we strive to create opportunities for our senior management to have direct dialogue with institutional investors.
The opinions and views expressed by shareholders and investors in those dialogues are periodically reported to the representative director and president and the officer responsible for Corporate Planning and, when necessary, also presented to the Management Committee, thereby ensuring that management receives timely and appropriate feedback.
Furthermore, officers responsible for communication and IR staff work with management to conduct briefings for securities analysts, institutional investors, and the media twice a year, following the announcements of financial results. Every quarter, these officers and IR staff also provide explanations of our financial results to the media.
General shareholders’ meeting
We send out the convocation notice one business day earlier than legally required to ensure sufficient time for shareholders to consider proposals to be voted on at the general shareholders’ meeting.
We also publish the notice electronically in accordance with rules for the electronic provision of information, posting it on our website and that of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Appropriate information disclosure
We have established guidelines for information disclosure, and we promptly and appropriately disclose corporate information fairly, in accordance with laws and regulations.
To ensure that information is disclosed appropriately and that insider information is kept confidential, we provide periodic education for officers and employees.
Timely disclosure
Our basic stance on corporate information disclosure is prescribed by our Corporate Charter and Compliance Guidelines.
We promptly and appropriately disclose corporate information required under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act of Japan and the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s Timely Disclosure Rules.