Chugai Hosts a Civic Forum "College of Health: Medicine in Daily Life"

November 30, 2006 (Tokyo) - Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (President, Osamu Nagayama; Head Office, Chuo-ku, Tokyo) (hereafter, "Chugai") will host a civic forum "College of Health: Medicine in Daily Life" in Shizuoka-shi on December 3.

"College of Health: Medicine in Daily Life" is a series of civic forums held over several years in various locations throughout Japan to provide information on a particular health-related topic.  The forum aims to provide a wide range of information to local residents in cooperation with local media.  Total of 14 forums have been held so far on a topic of "osteoporosis" between 1993 and 1997 and on another topic of "menopausal disorder" between 1998 and 2001.

The current series of forums scheduled up to 2010 will focus on rheumatoid arthritis, a disease that has been considered "incurable".  The theme of the series is "Get to know the current treatment for rheumatoid arthritis".  Tsutomu Takeuchi, a professor of internal medicine at Saitama Medical Center who specializes in Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, will talk about new treatments for rheumatoid arthritis in a lecture titled "From 'Relieving/Slowing' to 'Stopping'".

Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic disorder of unknown etiology.  Major symptoms include multiple joint inflammation and progressive joint destruction.  With recent findings on molecules that play important roles in treating rheumatoid arthritis, treatment of the disease has greatly advanced, and now, stopping the progression of joint destruction and repairing the destructed joint have become possible. 

Chugai hopes that many people who face rheumatoid arthritis will understand the disease correctly and know the importance of early detection and treatment through the forum.  We believe gaining knowledge about the disease will lead to smooth communication with medical professionals and opportunities to receive better treatment.

About "College of Health: Medicine in Daily Life"

Time & Date: 14:30-16:10; Sunday; December 3, 2006
Place: Shizu-Gin Hall "Euphonia" (8th floor, Agora Shizuoka, 1-13 Oute-machi, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka-shi)
Theme: "Get to know the current treatment of rheumatoid arthritis"
Lecture: From "Relieving/Slowing" to "Stopping"
                 Tsutomu Takeuchi MD. Ph D.
                  Professor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Clinical Immunology
                  Saitama Medical Center, Saitama Medical University
Hosted by: Shizuoka Shimbun, Shizuoka Broadcasting System
Auspices: Shizuoka Prefecture Medical Association, Shizuoka Pharmaceutical Association