Addressing Unmet Medical Needs

The Taiho group is working to address unmet medical needs for patients with cancer worldwide by discovering and developing anticancer agents in-house. At the same time, we are enhancing and expanding our drug discovery platform technologies. We collaborate with research institutions in and outside Japan to complement our in-house technologies and accelerate our research and development. Our partnerships with companies in the Otsuka group and others enable us to share expertise and cutting-edge technologies. These efforts all strengthen our drug discovery capabilities, further improve our development capabilities, and are accelerating our global growth. In addition, by investing in TAIHO VENTURES, LLC and TAIHO INNOVATIONS, LLC, which are corporate venture capital firms, and the open innovation fund Remiges BioPharma Fund, LP, we are building networks with promising Japanese and international bio-venture companies and academic institutions. This gives us access to innovative technologies and drug discovery seeds that we do not possess in-house. All of these efforts are intended to support the health and smiles of patients worldwide. While innovating through both in-house drug discovery and various collaborations, we are committed to taking on the challenge of R&D to create groundbreaking new pharmaceuticals.

The Taiho group also engages in responsible marketing activities worldwide, offering treatments based on internally developed anticancer drugs, such as TS-1 and LONSURF. In Japan, we also focus on providing care for anticancer drug side effects such as nausea and vomiting, as well as pain management, aiming to support total cancer care. Our relevant departments collaborate to ensure information concerning our products and their proper usage is communicated scientifically and objectively to healthcare professionals. This collaboration also enables us to plan and operate seminars, as well as to create brochures, website content, and other informational materials.

Providing Health Information

We provide information to patients and their families on cancer and other diseases, as well as information on Taiho Pharmaceutical medications.

Providing Information Materials to Patients

  • Image of Fertility Preservation Handbook
    Fertility Preservation Handbook for Patients with Cancer: Thinking About Having Children

Taiho Pharmaceutical creates and distributes various materials that healthcare professionals can use when delivering care to their patients.
In 2017, under the supervision of the Fertility Preservation Working Group at the Cancer Institute Hospital of JFCR in Tokyo, we published a booklet titled “Fertility Preservation Handbook for Patients with Cancer: Thinking About Having Children.” With recent advances in medical care, today cancer can often be cured, or long-term survival achieved, and fertility preservation techniques have also improved. Through this handbook, we hope patients will learn about fertility preservation before undergoing cancer treatment. This will let them know that they could still fulfill a personal desire to have children after treatment. It is also important for patients to choose treatment based on a full understanding of what it entails.

Taiho Pharmaceutical is committed to providing even clearer and more reliable information to patients and their families. As part of this effort, we worked with a patient organization to create a booklet explaining our anticancer drugs.
Through this collaboration, we gained insights about how to create patient-friendly materials that may have been difficult to obtain otherwise. We recognized the importance of using clear wording to avoid misunderstanding and the need to list the side effects patients are most likely to experience at the top of side effect information. We received other valuable advice, such as to be sure that illustrations in the booklet reflect patient sensibilities. The booklet has been well-received by healthcare professionals, and this reaffirmed for us the importance of working together with the patient community to provide better materials.

  • Editorial assistance: Naomi Sakurai, CEO of Cancer Solutions Co., Ltd.

Patient Support Programs

In the United States, TAIHO ONCOLOGY, INC. offers a program called Taiho Oncology Patient SupportTM to patients, to their caregivers, and to healthcare professionals. The services include insurance coverage verification, financial assistance, and treatment planning support.

Meanwhile, TAIHO PHARMA CANADA, INC. offers personalized assistance to patients in Canada. Available to patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals, the Conexus Patient Support ProgramTM includes support such as guidance on medical expense reimbursement, one-on-one support from specially trained nurses, specialized pharmacy services, home delivery services, and educational resources.

Improving Cancer Treatment Access

To make anticancer drugs from Taiho Pharmaceutical available to even more people, the company has delegated OKAYAMA TAIHO PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD. to manufacture and market authorized generic* versions of certain products. Working together, we aim to help build a society where everyone can receive medical care with peace of mind. By offering these authorized generics, the companies are helping to ensure the reliability of pharmaceutical supplies, while continuing to provide quality and safety information concerning trusted medicines that have been used for years. Additionally, TAIHO PHARMA ASIA PACIFIC PTE. LTD. is expanding its direct sales and distribution capabilities in ASEAN countries. This is improving access in the region to standard treatments like TS-1 and LONSURF, which are recommended in the Pan-Asian adapted ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines.

*Authorized generics: Generic drug versions produced under permission from the manufacturer of the original patented drug, using the same active and non-active ingredients, as well as the same manufacturing process. Authorized generics can be marketed even before the patent on the original drug expires, allowing patients to access them ahead of any other generic versions. As one would expect, authorized generics are priced lower than their original versions.

Expanding Access to Investigational Cancer Drugs

Via its Expanded Access Program, TAIHO ONCOLOGY, INC. enables patients with cancer in the United States to receive certain investigational drugs. While all patients with cancer who wish to participate in a clinical trial should ideally have the opportunity to do so, there are specific eligibility criteria, including the patient’s health condition. The program allows qualifying patients to receive certain Taiho investigational drugs, based on an application for pre-approval made by the patient’s physician.

Improving Access to Drugs Awaiting Approval

Via the Named Patient Program, TAIHO PHARMA ASIA PACIFIC PTE. LTD. assists patients with urgent medical needs to access drugs not yet approved in their own countries in Southeast Asia. Eligibility is based on humanitarian reasons and appropriate medication use.