Talk With
Guest Takeshi Karasawa

Former Director-General for Regional Revitalization, Headquarters for Overcoming
Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy in Japan, Cabinet Secretariat
Project Professor, Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University

Establishing healthcare system for integrating healthcare and nursing care into daily life

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Chairman and CEO, CMIC HOLDINGS, Co., Ltd.

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Former Director-General for Regional Revitalization, Headquarters for Overcoming
Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy in Japan, Cabinet Secretariat
Project Professor, Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University
External Corporate Director, CMIC HOLDINGS Co., Ltd.

The bullet train’s kingfisherinspired long nose
CHANGETHE

VIEWPOINT

Don’t you think that it is surprisingly quiet inside the bullet
train despite its extremely high speed?
Actually, in the past, there were noise pollution trouble
along the bullet train routes. Imagine the speed at which thebullet train rushes into a tunnel. The inevitable result was a
loud boom caused by a wave of compressed air at the end of
the tunnel.
What would be a solution to this problem? An idea thatemerged through a series of trial-and-error efforts was theimage of the “kingfisher” bird plunging into the water with
its long, narrow bill.

Com m un i c ate w i t h . . .

The team conducted experiments and analysis in order todetermine that it would be reasonable to model the front

The “C” of C-PRESS refers to the “C” of CMIC

part of the bullet train (500 Series) looking like the face ofand the “C” of communication.

the kingfisher, specifically the bird’s characteristic shape

C-PRESS delivers a wide range

from its bill to its head.

of information with a focus on topics

The “bill of the kingfisher” that reduces impact when the birdin the medical and healthcare fields.

hits the water—the “long nose of the bullet train” that travels
at a high speed.

Published May, 2020

We, as passengers enjoy the quietness and comfort of the

Published by Marketing Communication and PR Group, Corporate Marketing Department
Hamamatsucho Building, 1-1, Shibaura 1-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0023

bullet train. Isn’t it surprising that the secret behind is the

Phone: 03-6779-8200 Website: www.cmicgroup.com/eformative design of nature?

Supervised by Yoshihiko Mochizuki (Chairman of the Board of Directors at Medical Corporation
Emilio Moriguchi, Director of the Shibaura Three One Clinic)

CONTENTS
3

Talk With

14

Guest Takeshi Karasawa

10

Dr. Mochizuki’s Column

CMIC Group's Commitment to Diversity &Inclusion ⑥

Unconscious Bias …
Realize the "unconscious bias" within you

Former Director-General for Regional Revitalization, Headquarters for Overcoming
Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy in Japan, Cabinet Secretariat
Project Professor, Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University

Establishing healthcare system for integrating healthcare andnursing care into daily life

Series16

Our Creative Service at C MIC

19

CMIC NEWS

Yoshihiko Mochizuki

Thoughts on Epidemiology in the Time of COVID-19

How Digitalization Is Changing Clinical
Trials(VWDEOLVKLQJKHDOWKFDUHV\VWHPIRU
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As the novel coronavirus infection continues to spread with no end in sight, each country feels the necessity of reviewing andmodifying the healthcare system. Japan has an excellent universal health insurance system but is facing a mountain of problems
such as a declining birthrate and aging population and labor shortage, which will be important to the future operation of thehealthcare system. Which healthcare system should we establish in a rapidly aging society? CEO Nakamura interviewed External
Corporate Director Takeshi Karasawa, who has long devoted himself to improving the Japanese medical system as a bureaucrat in
the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, in order to find a path toward better healthcare system in Japan.

Establishing healthcare system for integrating healthcare and nursing care into daily life

Challenges to the healthcare
system highlighted by thenovel coronavirus calamity
Nakamura Since the end of theSecond World War, the average
lifetime has increased rapidly inJapan and the Japanese have thelongest life expectancy in the world.
Establishment of world-class, excellent
systems, such as a universal healthinsurance system and nursing-careinsurance system, contributes tothe longest life expectancy in Japanand you have played a key role inestablishing these healthcare systems.
The novel coronavirus disease
pandemic highlights the issues ofhealthcare system in each country
and I want to know your impressions
about the Japanese healthcare system
when compared with those of Europe
and America.
Karasawa Not only the health

Healthcare
environment in Japan

Data (1)insurance and care insurance systems
but also healthcare providers haveplayed a very significant role in Japan.
The number of beds per 1,000 people
is about 13 in Japan and prominent
among advanced countries: it is about
8 in Germany and about 3 in the US
and UK, which is just about one-fourthof that in Japan (see Data [1]). Japan isoften criticized for too many uselesshospital beds but considering that
European and American hospitals arefacing bed shortage, I do not thinkthat Japanese hospitals have too
many beds at all.
Nakamura The situation is most direin Europe and America. To begin with,a significant number of Americans
do not buy any insurance. Especiallyin New York, young people do notafford to pay healthcare expenses andcannot undergo testing or treatment.
With he prevalence of the novel
coronavirus, such young people rush
to their local hospitals at once andtheir hospital systems are on the verge

Integrating healthcare andnursing care into daily life

Number of beds per population in Japan

Japan has more hospital beds per 1,000 people than total hospital beds inadvanced countries. However, the total hospital beds in Japan include psychiatriccare beds (overlapping beds are also tabulated for Japan in the table given
separately). The sum of beds for acute and rehabilitation care per 1,000 people inJapan is about the same level as that in Germany.
https://www.jsicm.org/news/statement200401.html
Per 1,000 people(bed/per 1,000 people)

Year
surveyed

Total
hospital
beds

Curative( acute ) carebeds

Rehabilitativ
e care beds

Long-termcare beds

Otherhospital
beds*

Psychiatriccare beds

Canada

2018

2.5

2.0

0.1

0.4

0.0

0.3

France

2017

6.0

3.1

1.6

0.5

0.8

0.8

Germany

2017

8.0

6.0

2.0

0.0

0.0

1.3

Italy

2017

3.2

2.6

0.4

0.1

0.0

0.1

Japan

2017

13.1

7.8

2.6

2.6

2.6

United Kingdom

2017

2.5

2.1

United States

2016

2.8

2.4

0.2

0.1

0.4
0.1

of collapse.
At this moment, Japanese hospitals
somehow manage to maintaintheir level of care. But the novel
coronavirus epidemic will clarify
the problems associated with theJapanese healthcare and provide an
opportunity to create future policies.
Karasawa A declining birthrate,
aging population, explosion ofelderly populations in large cities,
overconcentration of population andindustry in the Tokyo Metropolitanarea, labor shortage, and utilizationof ICT (information-communication
technology) and AI (artificial
intelligence) will definitely havea great impact on the Japanese
healthcare and medical system.
I admit that Japan has created awonderful outcome, such as anincreased average lifetime and thelongest life expectancy in the world.
However, I think the development ofa socioeconomic system reflecting
the outcome is the key to our success.

0.2*Other hospital beds (others) and psychiatric care beds overlap with each other and overlapping figures are tabulated.
*Source: “OECD Health Statistics 2019” Some of the data are missing for the United Kingdom.
Reference: Yumiko Maeda. Japan Medical Association Research Institute Research Essay No. 77 (September 17, 2019)

Nakamura I have been involvedin new drug development in thepharmaceutical industry andsucceeded in completing big projects
in my own way. Japan is noted forits drug development in the world
and I have self-confidence that I havecontributed to society in terms ofcure of disease. However, considering
my age, I now strongly feel theimportance of healthcare is not justsimply treating disease but to live
your life happily.
Karasawa As mentioned above,
Japan has the longest life expectancy

and is making a shift from treatment
to livelihood support. Now patientssee a doctor for treatment or drugprescription at the hospital but inthe future, by utilizing ICT or AI, one’s
home itself will be like a satellite
hospital or an institution that enables
to integrate healthcare and nursing
care into daily lives.
Nakamura That is a very good
keyword. I also believe that what is
important to an individual for living
out his/her life includes not only
healing diseases but also feelinghappiness including well-being anda reason for living. Our businessactivities are supported by “CMIC’SCREED” inspired by the above
thought.
Karasawa The CMIC’S CREED is
simple, insightful, and splendid.
As you mentioned before, I thinkproviding support for people whowant to continue living one’s own life
as oneself will also become importantto the healthcare field.
Nakamura Apart from focusing onjust being physically healthy, we
also need to create some system
to support both physical andmental well-being utilizing various
technologies from a wide perspective(i.e., How should a person be andwhat can be done?). But at the sametime, considering the current situation
regarding Japan’s declining birthrate
and aging population, fewer workers
will have to support a growing
number of elderly people and wemust also address cost problems.
Karasawa To be honest, I do not thinkthat we need to reduce healthcare
expenses so much. I mean that thehealthcare expense, including nursing
care, as percentage of GDP is now
about 11% in Japan and not so high(see Data [2]). The problem is that how

Healthcare
environment in Japan

Data (2)Health Expenditure as Percentage of GDP

In 2018, the health expenditure as percentage of GDP (predicted value) in Japan is
10.9%, ranks sixth among 36 OECD countries, and lower than those in the US,
Germany, and France among the G7 countries.

*Source: “OECD Health Statistics 2019” (predicted or estimated values)
Reference: Yumiko Maeda. Japan Medical Association Research Institute Research Essay No. 77 (September 17, 2019)

to form the industry for supporting
medical care.

The administration needs tocooperate with companies indeveloping a framework forconnecting elderly people
with the community
Nakamura Elderly people play avariety of roles in the community
in the rural areas, whereas people
working for a company have no place
to go after retirement in the city andthis is a big issue.
Karasawa In fact, many wives are
exhausted because their husbands
sit around inside the house
after retirement. The municipal
government of Nagakute City,
Aichi, provides the retired withjobs, such as mowing, contributing
to the community. They, making aconnection with the community, canfeel a sense of fulfillment even withlow payment expectations and thiskind of activity is important.
Nakamura We will enter an era of
100-year lifespans. The important
thing is to continue to work as longas possible after retirement to bein the part of the society. Despite
little things, you should contributeto society and be paid in exchange
for your services, which is also very
important in terms of what makes
life worth living. Please note thatwhat I mean by saying being paidin exchange for your services is nota something managed by a unified
standards, such as minimum wages,
but based on the idea that you will behappy if you are paid in compensation
for jobs you have done by fulfillingsocial functions. To satisfy social
needs, companies need to create theenvironment required to hire elderly
workers without seeking gain fromthat area. For example, I am planningto develop a framework for matching
individual’s personality with different

Establishing healthcare system for integrating healthcare and nursing care into daily life

activities without setting a retirement
age by means such as setting up an
agricultural corporation within thecompany.
Although it is unrealistic to leave
the framework development taskcompletely to the local administrationin terms of cost, I hope companies
with the intention of conducting suchactivities can receive support from thenation. Do you have any idea?
Karasawa As you suggest, I also
recognize the vital importance for
one to feel his or her presence inboth the community and society,and also being paid in compensation
for jobs. It is not easy to encourage
people living on a pension to spend
their pension income freely to boost

consumer spending. They
receive a certain amountof pension every month,which will never increase,and they try to savemoney. However, they
will use the money they
have earned to buy their
grandchildren somethingor go traveling even if
it is just several tens of
thousands yen.
This kind of activity
will not make progress
if done only by the administration.
The administration needs to work
together with companies to develop
a framework by utilizing theirknow-how and ideas.

Making small-and-mediumsized hospitals act as a hub
for regional revitalization
Nakamura When I told an American
visitor that there are no hospitals
around Kobuchizawa, the visitor
stunned me by saying there aremany good hospitals within 30 or
40 minutes ride by helicopter andI realized there was a huge gap
between our consciousness. Of
course, there are many doctorless
districts, posing problems in Japan,
but viewed from a wider perspective,
there are a great deal of local central
hospitals with extensive facilities.
Since then, I have started to think
hard about how we can establish
a support system for patients by
utilizing this situation.
Given that technological innovation
promotes home care and helps
patients receive treatment at thehospital only when necessary, I wantto know how the Japanese healthcarechanges in the midst of this trend.
Karasawa I am assuming that
hospitals will be divided into twogroups in the near future: Wide-areahospitals for high-level acutecare and local multifunctional
hospitals. Of these hospitals, local
small-and-medium-sized hospitals
having about 200 beds will play
an increasingly important role as
not only a base for comprehensive
regional care but also a gathering
hub for regional revitalization.
For instance, Shimuraomiya Hospital
located in Hitachiomiya City, Ibaraki,acts as a hub for various healthcare
activities, such as secondary
emergency care and nursing care, butalso functions as a gathering place
for local people through activities
including a monthly morning market
and community café. This kind of
hospital is rarely seen in Europe
and America. Our future challenge
is to find a way to utilize not only
the wide-area acute care hospitals
but also help local people utilize
wide-area acute hospitals andsmall-and-medium-sized hospitals
offering wide range of healthcare
services including secondary
emergency care and nursing care.
Nakamura I do not think that wealways need to separate healthcare
and nursing care from daily life
especially in elderly people either.
I want to create a framework sothat healthcare professionals canhelp elderly people enjoy life andlive meaningfully by utilizing ICT,
AI, and other technologies. In thatcase, utilization of their data will
be very important. It will be an
ideal framework if there is a way tosuccessfully incorporate not only
disease and drug records but also
data such as a reason for living orcontribution to the community, andthis should help to live a life naturally
without thinking in cooperation withthe community
Karasawa Utilization of ICT or AI will
make substantial progress in leadinga healthy and meaningful life andfinding a sense of purpose in life. Thisis an area where CIMIC can make useof its broad findings and expertise,and it will become a world model,
originating in Japan. CIMIC is a very
unique company committed to clinicaldevelopment and manufacturingof new drugs, clinical trials at thehospital, and healthcare activities
for each family, involving upstream
and downstream operations. I think
the great advantage of CMIC is that
we focus on the family healthcare,and I hope that CIMIC, utilizing
this advantage, will create a newlifestyle so that patients are able toreceive support ranging from healthsupervision to anything they want to
do without making an outpatient visit
every week.

For inheriting
a local culture
Nakamura Japan indeed has a varietyof local cultures. The preservation andinheritance of these cultures without
destroying them will make Japanesepeople energetic. I find it meaningfulfor people, men or women of allages with different occupations
participate in events, such as the
New Year holidays, the day before
the calendrical beginning of spring(setsubun), summer festivals and such
togetherKarasawa Exactly. I think it is against
the natural providence to gather

only small children in
the nursery schools andkindergartens, or gather
elderlies at the nursing
home. Mingling withpeople from different
generations and sharing
the same place withchildren and elderly
people are ultimate
diversity. Althoughsmall in number, suchinstitutions have been
established. Mingling
with others is fine.
Nakamura I have visited a nursing
home known for mingling with othersand everyone looked energetic. If
elderly people who have plenty oftime to look after children instead of
their working mothers, the elderly
people will find a sense of purpose inlife and mothers will appreciate their
help. However, no infrastructure has
been constructed for that purposeand “festivals” may be the best placefor different people to gather around.
I propose providing services such as
carrying festival tools on a trailer. It isa kind of “festival delivery” for holding
a festival on demand everywhere(laugh).
Karasawa Local cultures will notsurvive unless you make such efforts.
Promotion of local cultures is also
important to stimulation of local
economy.

Spread of the novel
coronavirus infection
becomes an opportunity toraise individual awarenessNakamura The outbreak of the novel
coronavirus has become an
opportunity to regard disease as aproblem for ourselves, not for others,
and made the Japanese realize theimportance of health. We will learn alesson from this experience.
Lastly, please give us advice on what
we should consider for the future ofJapan.
Karasawa As you mentioned before,
Japan has a very excellent medical
system characterized by a universal
health insurance system but taking
this opportunity, we, Japanese should
first realize that this universal healthinsurance system is not common. We
should also give a thought to what it
takes to maintain this outstanding
system.
This will also help find out what is
important for life and is a good
opportunity to reconsider one’ s
lifestyle.
Nakamura I have heard that Japan issuperior in diet and health and thisappears to be largely dependent on
its healthcare system. I hope thateveryone will use this opportunity togain and utilize knowledge about
health and lead a life so that they canmanage their health and enjoy life intheir own way. Thank you for joining
me today.
This conversation took place on March 31, 2020.

Series

CMIC Group’s Initiatives to Diversity & Inclusion

6
Tomotaka Moriya

Unconscious bias ubiquitous inour daily lives

In fact, all of these behaviors are affected

these issues in yourself.

by unconscious bias. The truth is that no

It is important that each individual

one is free from unconscious bias, andI’m not saying“Unconscious bias” refers to ahaving unconscious bias is no problem in“preconception, prejudice or biased

and of itself. The problem lies in people’s

assumption that one has that one isrefusal to recognize their own

unaware of.” Have you ever had

unconscious bias.

experience like things work out negatively

The culprit behind this is “self-defense,”

despite of your good intentions, or

which is caused by the human brain’s

hurting someone’s feelings though you

tendency to avoid stress by interpreting

normal person

meant well? The reason this occurs is very

things to one’s own advantage, such as “I

simple: this can happen whenever you

am right” and “I am not to blame.”That can’t be tr

and others “see things differently.” When

People unconsciously presume
and impose ideas on others

your version of the story differs from theirversion, unpleasant emotions can arise

difficult.

anything

Moriya Consulting Co., Ltd.
Representative Director ofBias Laboratoryus
nscio
Director of the Uncoad from Kobe University within Osaka in 1970 and graduate
Tomotaka Moriya was born
ed in the launch of a
cipat
parti
he
Ltd,
Co.,
IKEI
for TOSH
master’s degree. After working
many leadership training
firm in 1999 and implemented
human resources consulting
in theLtd. in 2015, he has engaged
Co.,
g
ultin
Cons
ya
Mori
programs. Since founding
and executive
ial
ager
man
in
those
ly
leaders, maindevelopment of over 50,000
energize each and everyof creating a society that canpositions. In 2018, with the aim
nscious Bias Laboratory.
Unco
the
of
tor
Direc
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me
beca
member, he established andnscious Bias training.
Unco
his
in
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cipat
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To date, more than 50,000 peop.com/
https: //www.moriyatomotaka
as-lab.org/
https: // www. unconsciousbi

squarely faces each matter at hand.
Once you get away from your own
perspective, you can see things from theDon’t tell me th

perspectives of others.

If you think ab

Pay attention to the “mental
aftertaste” your words may leave
with others

even know this.

at you don’t

out it like a

,…

ue!

It is only natu

ral that you
should be able
to do this.

“Unconscious Bias”
Management

The best leaders do notbelieve themselves(KANKI PUBLISHING INC.)

How would you feel if someone says thefollowing to you?

You are a serious person!

the people who hear them. After all, it isown unconscious bias, such as “I havealways up to the person to whom you arerealized this unconscious bias that I have.”speaking to interpret your words, noHowever, it is not advisable to force others

matter what your actual intention was.

to do so.

within the other party, resulting in

It is difficult to be aware of your own

significant impacts on people andunconscious bias because it is

In fact, this phrase is known to create

The “mental aftertaste” (pleasant or

Imagine how people feel when someoneorganizations.

“unconscious.” However, this bias shows

markedly different impressions on

unpleasant feeling) that your words leave

criticizes them with words like, “You are

up in your words and actions, such as inThis is because what is most important isdifferent individuals.

depends on the person and the situation.

presuming and see things in a biased

the form of “presumptions” and“whether you are aware” and “whether

Some will be “pleased,” while others will

Even when one hundred people have theway.” This judgmental behavior can lead

“impositions.” People tend to “presume”

you are willing to be aware” of your words

be “shocked to be labelled uninteresting.”same interpretation of what you havethem to shut their minds off.

Below are some examples of things thatthings and “impose” ideas on others inand behavior. To some people, none ofSome people feel flattered if a teamsaid, the 101st person may not.

I believe that when individuals who havepeople often do in their daily lives.

order to put their own convenience

these may apply.

member at work says these words, but

before that of others and to satisfy their

Such people are urged to continue tothey may also be the last words thatown needs—without realizing what theyquestion themselves—“Is it possible that I

someone wants to hear from their friends.

are doing.

have any other preconceptions?” or “My

Meanwhile, some people may feel

One question I have been asked manyand showing others how they are trying

For example, have you ever felt any of thecolleagues and superiors at work, as wellnothing.

times in training and lecture programs is

to change themselves, they will graduallyfollowing (refer to the checklist)?

as my family members and friends, may

The point is, even the same words can

this:involve the people around them, resulting

Even if many of the items apply to you, it

have such presumptions.” It is difficult tomake different impressions depending on“When I want to make others aware of

in a better social environment. To this end,

is not a problem.

move forward if you cannot recognize

the “past experience” and “perspective” oftheir unconscious bias, how can I do so?”the first step is to be aware of your own

My answer is: “There is no way to do that.”“unconscious bias.”

No one is free from unconscious
bias

rsonality
eone’s pe
Judge somlood typeto their b
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It is great that you can talk about yourUnconscious Bias …
Realize the “unconscious bias” within you
In recent years, the concept of “unconscious bias” has been increasingly covered inbusiness magazines, newspapers and TV programs. Why is it attracting more
attention now? The largest reason is that diversity now plays a more importantrole than ever in organizational growth. A “one size fits all” management approach
does not allow every team member to work vibrantly. Ungrounded assumptions
can worsen personal relationships and inhibit teamwork. Let’s hear what
Tomotaka Moriya, a management consultant and Japan’s leading authority on
unconscious bias, has to say.

14

What impressed me most about his talk was the expression “mental aftertaste,” which you may leave onothers and which you should pay close attention to. We easily forget that different people have different
ways of thinking and different perspectives. Everyone has unconscious bias; no one can be free from it.
However, I think that we can bring about changes in our own responses simply by realizing the existenceof unconscious bias and becoming a bit more aware of it.
Kyoko Kanamaru, Corporate Officer in charge of Group Diversity Promotions, CMIC HOLDINGS Co., Ltd15

learned about the concept begin to set
good examples for others by proactively
disclosing their own “unconscious biases”

Technologies that enable virtual clinical trials
Online testing

Completion

Visit

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• Checkups, observation• Administration/Prescription at medical facility

IoT-enabled healthcare devices
Enables day-to-day data collection via
mobile technologies

ePRO (e.g., digital patient diary)
Patients can report their own symptoms
to improve data quality and achieve
real-time data referencing

Via
the Internet

OnlineHaving an all-virtual method also means that we can havea "hybrid method" that combines conventional clinical trial
methods to reduce the number of facility visits

Autom
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reducing the need to visit medical facilities
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Provide an ecosystem thatconnects patients, physicians,and pharmaceutical companies

Provide a service for
conducting clinical trials using
new technologies

Knowledgeable call center
service helps reassure patientsContribute to the creation of
results based on evidence
from a new perspective

Benefits brought about by virtual clinical trials

Patients

Subjective
self-evaluations
can be given

Reduces thestrain offacility visits

Lowers thedifficulty ofparticipating inclinical trials

Medicalfacility

Enables real-time
discovery of adverse
events...
and changes
in healthTesting times can bescheduled relatively easily

Pharmaceuticalcompany

Easily find subjects forclinical trials

Easily collectdetailed orcontinuous data

and monitors
drug efficacy

Shortendevelopment
time

Promote open innovation
with various industries

Make patient-centered medical care a reality with digital technology!
16

17

Q What are virtual clinical trials?

CMIC jointly won the Minister of State for Science and T
echnology Policy Award at the Japan Open Innovation Prize

Different from conventional clinical trials in which
patients must be tested at a medical facility, virtual

Producing blood in factories—Aiming to commercialize regenerative medicine using iPS cells

clinical trials collect data using online testing, ePRO
(electronic Patient Reported Outcome), and wearable
devices. This enables the trial to be conducted from
home, eliminating the need to visit a facility.

Q Why are virtual clinical trials attracting attention?
There is an increasing need to reduce the length of clinicalenable them are attracting attention as potential

trials by preventing trial discontinuation as well as tosolutions. Subjective evaluations of patients using ePRO

efficiently enroll subjects. This is due to rising

and wearable devices, in addition to the continuous data

development costs for new drugs as well as the shifts tocollection enabled by these devices, are potential avenues

drug development for rare diseases and personalizedof growth for clinical trials.

medicine. Virtual clinical trials and the technologies that

In February, 2020, CMIC, as part of a group of five companies(Megakaryon Corporation, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Factory,
Inc., Kyoto Seisakusho Co. Ltd., Satake Chemical Equipment
Mfg., Ltd., and CMIC Holdings Co., Ltd.), won the Minister ofState for Science and Technology Policy Award at the Second
Japan Open Innovation Prize, which is hosted by the JapaneseCabinet Office, for "Producing blood in factories—Aiming tocommercialize regenerative medicine using iPS cells."
Encouraged by this award, we will continue to strengthen ourcollaborative relationships with the other companies; tofurther contribute based on our experience, know-how andknowledge obtained over many years in pre-clinical andclinical trials; and to strive to the utmost to provide patientswith the required medical care as soon as possible.

CMIC and SUSMED launch simplified analysis solutions
for big data using AI

Q What are the benefits of virtual clinical trials?
A major benefit is that patients do not need to visit athe other hand, issues include patient apprehension withmedical facility. For instance, patients do not have toregard to not conducting tests in person as well as theworry about making visits, which lowers the barrier topatient's technical literacy regarding digital devices. In

entry for people who may otherwise discontinue the trial

addition, few physicians are used to online testing, anddue to work obligations. Thus, pharmaceuticalthey may be overwhelmed by the different devices andcompanies have an easier time recruiting subjects, which

systems used for each clinical trial. To remedy this,leads to a shorter clinical trial period. In addition topharmaceutical companies must prepare the necessary

making it relatively easier for the clinical trial physician tosystems, devices, and platforms, thus laying theset schedules for testing by conducting tests online, thisgroundwork to smoothly conduct virtual clinical trials.

approach facilitates more detailed testing if needed. On

Q What are CMIC's initiatives for virtual clinical trials?
Conducting clinical trials virtually is a solution that has

CMIC Group promotes open innovation with partners fromvarious industries to contribute to creating new value and resolving challenges.

great potential, but currently this approach is seldom usedcapability, and interpretation of laws and regulations.
Instead of staying within the role of a CRO, CMIC willbuilt up the knowledge to do so. CMIC, which has a handpromote open innovation by collaborating with industries

in approximately 80% of all drugs developed in Japan, isthat have access to leading-edge digital technologies

proactively seeking to develop this capability based onneeded for virtual clinical trials. This will in turn lead to thethe knowledge it has collected regarding the needs inprovision of additional solutions.

CMIC and MICIN seminar on virtual clinical trials for the pharmaceutical industry
interpretations of Japanese laws and regulations, and the development

clinical trials in Japan entitled "Trying Out Virtual Clinical Trials: Digitalizing

process of an online testing tool for virtual clinical trials under open

Patient-Centered Trials." The seminar discussed the needs in individual

innovation. In addition, there was a demonstration of a virtual clinical trial

disease areas, the possibility of holding virtual clinical trials,

using the online testing service "curon" developed and operated by MICIN.

18*A process to improve the quality of the data and rendering it suitable for analysis. Identify repetition, mistakes, and inconsistent notation within a database, and these will be deleted,revised, or normalized.

individual disease areas, the potential to realize thisin Japan, and many pharmaceutical companies have not

In January 2020, CMIC and MICIN held a seminar on conducting virtual

In January 2020, CMIC and SUSMED, Inc, which conducts
research and development on digital therapies, beganoffering simplified big data analysis solutions using AI thatenable researchers to rapidly obtain valuable insights into
big data, including real-world data (RWD). CMIC performs
data cleansing* on pharmaceutical companies' RWD andother big data in order to enable simplified analysis, thenthe data is put through SUSMED's automated AI analysis
systems, allowing for simplified analysis that is faster thanconventional processes. These solutions are expected tocontribute to shortening the time needed to set up clinical
trials and to perform analysis for academic publications.

Certified as an “Excellent Enterprise of Health andProductivity Management—White 500” again
in 2020 (the third consecutive year)

For the details of these news releases, visit CMIC Group's website at:https://en.cmicgroup.com/news-events/

19

Excellent Enterprise of
Health and Productivity
Management 2020
(White 500)