TOPPAN Holdings Co., Ltd.
TOPPAN Holdings begins demonstration experiment of home delivery of prescription drugs in medically depopulated areas
Building a telemedicine system that combines online medication guidance with the aim of resolving the shortage of pharmacies and pharmacists in remote medical care in Uonuma City, Niigata Prefecture ……
TOPPAN Holdings Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo; President: Hideharu Maro; hereinafter referred to as TOPPAN Holdings) provides home delivery of prescription drugs with the aim of resolving the shortage of pharmacies and pharmacists in remote medical care (*1) in Uonuma City, Niigata Prefecture. A demonstration experiment
(hereinafter referred to as this demonstration) will be conducted from April 2, 2024 to September 30, 2024 to utilize the service and build a telemedicine system.
This demonstration will utilize the prescription drug delivery service “Todokusuri” provided by Okapi Pharmacy System Co., Ltd. (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Tatsuichiro Kurashige, hereinafter “Okapi Pharmacy”), a wholly owned subsidiary of TOPPAN Holdings. With the cooperation of the Uonuma City Medical Corporation (located in Uonuma City, Niigata Prefecture, Chairman: Koji Sato), we opened the Irihirose Clinic (located in: Uonuma City), one of the clinics in Uonuma City. The demonstration will be conducted at Mt. Otochi, Uonuma City). For receiving prescription drugs after a medical examination, we provided online medication guidance and then delivered the prescription drugs to home, thereby solving the shortage of pharmacies and pharmacists in remote medical care and verifying the usefulness of online services in depopulated areas with many elderly people. To do. Through this demonstration, we aim to improve sustainable medical access by providing appropriate medical care to those who need it in remote areas.
[Image 1: https://prtimes.jp/i/33034/1378/resize/d33034-1378-fb5cc76e00c8f964bf9c-2.jpg&s3=33034-1378-81ff45454c631268ebd9e5218384e035-900×505.jpg] Overview of this demonstration
■ Background of this demonstration
On remote islands and depopulated areas in Japan, it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain the current medical system due to a shortage of doctors and medical personnel due to population decline. In response to this, demonstration experiments of online medical treatment are being conducted in various places, but in most cases, only consultations are performed as telemedicine, and dispensing and delivery of drugs must be done face-to-face at medical institutions or pharmacies. In addition, the lack of human resources and resources in medical care in remote areas is an issue that applies not only to doctors but also to pharmacies and pharmacists, and it is necessary to build a medical system that encompasses everything from examinations to dispensing and dispensing drugs.
In order to solve these issues, TOPPAN Holdings aims to build a platform that will eliminate the shortage of local pharmacies and pharmacists through a remote system for dispensing and medication by utilizing “Todokusuri” provided by Okapi Pharmacy. In the future, we will present online medication guidance as a way of working for potential local pharmacists (those who have a pharmacist’s license but do not work as a pharmacist), and promote initiatives with a view to utilizing local human resources. I will continue to do so. Through these efforts, TOPPAN Holdings aims to build a sustainable medical system centered on local medical institutions and pharmacies. ■ Overview of this demonstration
[Table 2: https://prtimes.jp/data/corp/33034/table/1378_1_d7ef1264f2369467069d2d6c52f40627.jpg ]
[Image 2: https://prtimes.jp/i/33034/1378/resize/d33034-1378-75c84bc9196583fff6df-1.jpg&s3=33034-1378-89dd46b073379af7e69956cb7a15f6df-683×386.jpg] Exterior view of Irihirose Clinic where this demonstration will be conducted ■ Future goals
After this demonstration, TOPPAN Holdings aims to independently run a telemedicine system using Todokusuri in the Uonuma region from October 2024. In addition, we aim to build a remote system for dispensing and drugs in remote medical areas across the country, and build a platform to eliminate the shortage of local pharmacists.
Going forward, we will continue to develop and provide new products and services in the health and life sciences field, including Todokusuri, with the aim of creating a healthy and long-lived society where everyone can live a healthy life.
■ About the prescription drug delivery service “Todokusuri”
With Todokusuri, by sending information necessary for dispensing and delivery to the pharmacy from the website, you can receive online medication guidance and receive medicines at home with no
shipping/service fees (*2). This service has been available since March 2020. (*3) Since there is no need to go to a pharmacy, even those who find it difficult to consult in public or those who do not have time to visit a pharmacy can conveniently receive and take prescribed medicines. Pharmacists from directly managed pharmacies or affiliated pharmacies will dispense prescription drugs and give medication instructions via video call.・“Todokusuri” service site URL: https://todokusuri.com/
*1 Medical care in remote areas
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the definition of a remote area in terms of medical care measures for remote areas is defined as “areas without medical care” or “semi-medical areas (areas equivalent to areas without medical care)” that require implementation of health care measures in remote areas. The area where you are. (Quoted from the “16th Study Group on Review of Medical Plans” (November 28, 2019) published by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare)
*2 A settlement fee will be charged depending on the payment method. *3 Service contents may change without notice due to changes in laws and regulations.
*“Todokusuri” is a registered trademark of Okapi Pharmacy System Co., Ltd. *Product and service names mentioned in this news release are trademarks or registered trademarks of each company.
*The information contained in this news release is current as of the date of announcement. It is subject to change without prior notice. that’s all
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