export japan
Significant evolution in packaging for OTC drugs
Multilingual support for inbound tourists. There is also a voice substitute function for Braille.
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“I had a hard time understanding the contents of the medicines sold in foreign countries.” A major pharmaceutical manufacturer is taking a new approach to address these concerns that foreigners visiting Japan may also experience. Rohto Pharmaceutical has adopted the Accessible Code(R) for the product packaging of the Pansilon series (excluding some products), which will be renewed this fiscal year, for foreigners who have difficulty reading Japanese, those with dyslexia, and those with low vision. We have set out to create an environment where accurate drug product information can be delivered to people who are blind or blind.
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 and confirmed its effectiveness. For more information
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*² QR code is a two-dimensional barcode invented by Denso Wave Co., Ltd. and has a registered trademark. Because the standard is open, its use is expanding all over the world.
[Background of the introduction] The number of foreign visitors to Japan after the coronavirus reached 2.51 million in October 2023, exceeding the level before the spread of the new coronavirus (2019). Among these, Japanese drugstores are highly popular among foreign visitors to Japan, and the ratio of inbound purchases to OTC drug sales is increasing. On the other hand, although information regarding the dosage and usage of pharmaceuticals is of greatest interest to foreign purchasers, most people who cannot read Japanese are unable to properly understand this information. In addition, there were cases in which traditional writing methods were not sufficient to convey information to the elderly, people with dyslexia, and people with visual impairments who were unable to read small print. As one of the ways to eliminate this information gap, Rohto Pharmaceutical has decided to introduce an accessible code to the Pansilon series, which is scheduled to have a new packaging starting from this month onwards, to reach out to people who have not been able to receive information in the past. We will also begin efforts to provide accurate
information about our products.
[Accessible code details] Smartphones, which are now owned by approximately 70%*³ of the world’s population, come standard with a voice reading function (see the image below) that can be used by people with visual impairments, etc. Masu. By using this function, even if you are completely blind, you can freely operate your smartphone and convert text information into speech by opening a specified page in your browser. (The following is an example of setting the “Voice Over” function on iPhone. Android also has a similar function called “TalkBack”.)
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Currently, it has been reported as a survey result*⁴ that by using this function, the percentage of visually impaired people (especially blind people) who are able to use smartphones is increasing. Furthermore, with regard to reading QR codes, a nationwide test in which more than 100 visually impaired people participated has shown that more than 90% of people can read a QR code if they can recognize the location using their sense of touch. has been proven.
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