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- Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation
- Corporate Activity 2009
To ensure that its business is conducted in a sound manner and based on the highest sense of ethics and spirit of compliance, the Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation (MTPC) Group has created a compliance promotion system centered on the Compliance Promotion Committee.
The Group conducted the following activities in fiscal 2008.
The committee convened two regular and one special meeting, reported its promotion activities and deliberated its activity plans and important topics.
Liaison meetings were held twice for personnel in charge of compliance promotion in the workplace, offering opportunities to provide necessary information related to compliance promotion and conduct training. (Meetings were held in April and December, with a total of 224 people participating. An outside instructor was invited to conduct training at the December meeting.)
Conducted according to an annual plan, by level and content.
We regularly conduct surveys to confirm the status of compliance promotion, and reflect survey results into future promotion activities. A survey was conducted targeting all Group employees in Japan, including contract staff. (Respondents: 6,289, response rate: 71.5%)
A meeting of the Human Rights Promotion Committee was held, chaired by the president, to deliberate the planning and promotion of companywide measures. In addition to conducting human rights awareness training, the committee solicited human rights awareness slogans.
In accordance with the MTPC Group's Risk Management Policy, the president chairs the Risk Management Committee, which meets regularly (twice per year) and on additional occasions, if necessary.
The Risk Management Committee periodically monitors Group companies in Japan and overseas, identifies the risks faced by individual divisions and companies and conducts spot checks on that basis. At the same time, the committee responds to thematic risks across the Group, as necessary.
In times of crisis, the committee acts in accordance with the Risk Management Policy and the Emergency Response Standards as it seeks to enact measures to minimize damages. At such times, the committee serves as a companywide countermeasure headquarters, optimizing the Group's overall response and conducting risk management efficiently.
Kurumin certification of confirming to standards for general employers
MTPC seeks to create an environment in which all employees can experience such important and proud life events as childbirth, childrearing and nursing care with peace of mind while continuing to work at their jobs with a sense of self-achievement. The company's childcare leave system exceeds legal requirements, and we work to provide parental support, as well. Accordingly, in 2007 the company was certified as confirming to standards for general employers in accordance with the Law for Promoting Measures to Support the Development of the Next Generation.
Fiscal 2008 activities that were planned in accordance with this law included (1) loaning mobile PCs to employees on childcare or nursing care leave to smooth their re-entry into the workplace and (2) reviewing the way employees work, and requiring all employees to leave the office at the end of regular work times four times per year. After having put these plans into effect, in 2009 we expect to earn certification under this law again.
To ease the uncertainties that employees might feel when taking leave before and after childbirth and for childrearing and to provide procedural support, we have prepared a manual concerning these activities and publicized the existence of the Follower (consultation desk). To reduce overtime working hours, we have implemented a system that encourages employees to plan consecutive holidays and have implemented a system requiring people to leave the office at the end of regular work times
Training Experience Highlighting the Fear of Chemical and Thermal Injuries Through practice with piping, we help workers experience the fear of chemical and thermal injuries, which is linked to accident prevention.
In fiscal 2008, MTPC's objective was to have zero facility-related accidents and zero occupational accidents. Although no facility-related accidents occurred, accidents accompanied by one or more days of lost time occurred five times at the company's plants and research laboratories. Consequently, the lost time injury frequency1 was 0.66. (By comparison, in 2008 the average lost time injury frequency for the pharmaceutical industry was 1.06). Looking at causes, these accidents mostly resulted from chemical injuries, falls or drops, or being caught. We conclude that risk prediction and safety confirmations are insufficient, and that these incidents stem from lack of education and training.
Given this situation, to create a workforce that encourages people to think before acting we have expanded safety training, and to heighten safety awareness we have introduced risk prediction training, training experience highlighting the fear of chemical and thermal injuries and naze naze analysis training. Such training, which takes workplace characteristics into account, is designed to eliminate occupational accidents.
1 Lost time injury frequency: Number of lost time injury accidents per million working hours
Scene from "the Story of Medicine's Birth," held in June
Since 1968, we have encouraged volunteer interaction through lectures and mini-concerts held on alternate months at the Maker, Seller and Consumer (MSC) Volunteer Salon in Ginza, Tokyo. Lifestyle and health-related themes during fiscal 2008 included "The Story of Medicine's Birth" and a "Talk on Walking and Shoes." During the Christmas season, international aid associations' activities were introduced, and products were exhibited and sold.
We strive to recognize the greenhouse gases emitted through our business activities, as well as the leakage and release of chemical substances into the atmosphere, water and soil, as well as the accompanying health hazards, ecological impact and other environmental safety risks. We then work to prevent such risks. We have prepared the Environmental Safety Risk Management Bylaws to define the procedures to follow in the event that a risk materializes, and we provide education and training on their application.
When building the new drug substance production wing at Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Onoda Plant that was completed in fiscal 2008, we anticipated issues resulting by production processes and chemical substances that would be handled and introduced countermeasures against such potential problems as atmospheric pollution, water contamination, foul smells, sound and waste. Our environmental assessments sought to predict the extent of such issues. We compiled our findings into a report, which we explained to the Sanyo Onoda City Environmental Commission, resulting in their approval.
Electric vehicles introduced for use on sales routes Vehicles sport two-tone blue and white corporate colors
MTPC has introduced electric vehicles for use on sales routes as part of its proactive efforts toward an environmentally friendly system for eco-promotion. We are conducting other types of environmentally conscious corporate activities, as well.
We will also introduce electric vehicles for MRs to use when they visit medical institutions. In summer 2009, we had 50 of these vehicles for such visits in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Kyoto and Osaka prefectures. Compared with the gasoline-powered vehicles used in the past, electric vehicles emit no CO2 during operation.
We will continue to convert fleet vehicles to hybrid or low-emission vehicles and revise the assumption of having one vehicle per MR. For MRs responsible for university hospitals in urban areas, we will encourage car sharing and the use of the use of public transport. Through such methods, we expect to change our style of sales and reduce the number of sales vehicles required.
MTPC learned that Bipha Corporation, a consolidated subsidiary, intentionally exchanged some authentic test data with irrelevant data when preparing a data package submitted with an application for manufacturing and sales approval of Medway Injection 5%, a recombinant human serum albumin preparation jointly developed by MPTC and Bipha, manufactured by Bipha and marketed by MPTC. Upon learning of this exchange, in March 2009 MTPC applied for the withdrawal of its manufacturing and marketing authorization and voluntarily recalled Medway Injection 5% and Medway Injection 25%.
MTPC sincerely regrets this occurrence. In response to this situation, MTPC is reinforcing its training and quality assurance systems and has created an overall management review and enhancement program. Through such measures, the company is working to restore its GMP compliance and confidence in the data accompanying its applications, and is implementing thorough compliance measures related to other pharmaceutical-related regulations. Through the establishment of the Bipha GMP System Monitoring Committee, MTPC will redouble its supervision and support of Bipha.
Through the steady implementation of such efforts, MTPC is striving to recover trust among its stakeholders.
