• Roll out educational activities to encourage cancer screening in partnership with local governments including Osaka, Yokohama, as well as universities.
• Distribute an educational flyer containing Q&A to reduce uneasiness in students receiving cancer screening.
• Show an educational video on cervical cancer screening in public lectures throughout the country.

TOKYO, May 31, 2019 -- Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (TOKYO: 4519) announced today that the company started educational activities to promote cervical cancer screening targeting women in their 20s to 30s and their parents.

An increasing number of younger women (aged 20 to 39) are diagnosed with cervical cancer. Especially, the number of women in their 20s has been rapidly increasing¹⁾. Cervical cancer screening is the only screening recommended for women in this age group²⁾, as it is important to detect cancer at an early, curable stage. In Japan, however, the rate of cervical cancer screening has remained at 37.7%³⁾, which is at the lowest level in the 30 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). To improve the rate of cervical cancer screening in Japan, Chugai will collaborate with local governments including Osaka, Yokohama to initiate activities to promote awareness, leading to eradication of cervical cancer.

Activity 1 Distribute an educational flyer containing Q&A to reduce uneasiness in students receiving cancer screening based on the questionnaire survey

• A questionnaire survey in students showed that many of them had uneasiness in receiving cancer screening. The flyer therefore provides Q&A to relieve such uneasiness. Furthermore, the flow of the examinations is explained in an easy-to-understand 12 illustrations.
• The flyer will be distributed to participants in public lectures held in prefectures.
• In corporation with relevant organizations, the flyer will also be distributed at a coming-of-age ceremony, as well as at universities.
• Ms. Natsumi Ishizaki, an actress in her 20s who is in the age group with high incidence, is used on the flyer.

Activity 2 Show an educational video on cervical cancer screening in public lectures and broadcast the video on YouTube

[Title]

• You…the one most responsible for you

[Released on]

• Show the video in public lectures in partnership with local governments
• Also broadcast the video on YouTube (Official Channel of Chugai,Japanese only)

Chugai is actively involved in the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s initiative “Actions to be Taken by Companies to Promote Cancer Control” (Japanese only) as a promotion partner, and encourages female employees in Chugai Pharmaceutical Group to receive cervical cancer screening. Through the educational campaign, Chugai intends to focus on women in their 20s and 30s who are less familiar with cancer screening and their families, and to let them be aware of its importance.

Chugai aims at further contributing to the medical community and human health around the world and continues to engage in disease awareness activities, which will lead to trust and appreciation from all stakeholders including patients, their families, and healthcare professionals.

[Reference]
1) Center for Cancer Control and Information Services. The recommendation for the cervical cancer screening https://ganjoho.jp/public/pre_scr/screening/uterine_cancer.html (Japanese only, as of May 10, 2019)
2) The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Items on the cancer screening for municipalities https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/0000059490.html (Japanese only, as of May 10, 2019)
3) The Percentage of Women Aged from 20 to 69 Who Received Cervical Cancer Screening (2013) OECD, OECD Health Data 2013, June 2013