[Priority Issue 2]Improve Accessibilities to Medical Services

The Fujifilm Group provides medical IT worldwide to efficiently utilize X-ray Diagnostic Imaging Systems, endoscopes, ultrasonic diagnostic systems, etc. that offer high-precision diagnoses. Our Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS),* SYNAPSE, boasts the largest market in Japan supporting doctors' imaging diagnosis through our exclusive image processing and recognition technology that make various types of lesions more visible.

We have developed AI technology that can support (1) medical imaging diagnoses, (2) streamline departmental workflows, and (3) automate medical equipment maintenance services. In April 2018, we announced this AI technology under the brand name, REiLI. We are now creating AI technology by combining the image recognition technology that we cultivated to date with deep learning, and further fusing this AI technology with PACS. This fusion should enable us to develop AI technology and solutions that comprehensively support the diagnostic imaging workflow, such as helping detect a potential lesion image from a series of images and creating a semi-automatic report by comparing the image with past cases. In order to address various diseases, we offer an open platform from the development stage. We are also seeking business partners from AI technology vendors across the world who possess superior technologies. By combining diverse AI technologies both from inside and outside our company, we will provide a wide range of services that support doctors' diagnoses and working efficiency.

* PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System): An image diagnosis system in which images captured by CT, MRI, DR, and the other devices are stored in a server, and doctors can display these images on a local terminal in the hospital to interpret them. The number of captured images is increasing in recent years, and a solution that allows doctors to efficiently interpret and diagnose such images is required.

Fujifilm has developed a diagnostic system to detect the influenza virus at an early stage of infection using highly sensitive identification technology, to which the unique silver amplification technology used in the photographic film development process is applied. We are working to expand this innovative technology into equipment to enable early detection of various infections across the world.

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the three major infectious diseases in the world. As a single infectious disease, it accounts for the largest number of deaths in the world. In 2016, 10.4 million people developed tuberculosis and 1.7 million people died from it. In addition, HIV patients, more frequently found in developing countries, tend to easily develop tuberculosis due to their weakened immune systems. However, a TB screening system for HIV patients is not available in areas where the medical infrastructure is inadequate. There was therefore a strong demand for the development of POCT* kit that was sensitive, easy-to-use, fast at diagnoses, and available at a reasonable cost. In April 2016, Fujifilm started development of TB-LAM jointly with FIND using a subsidy from the GHIT Fund, and completed Phase 1 development in 2017. TB-LAM is a highly sensitive kit that uses urine specimens to detect tuberculosis among HIV patients. In May 2016, we conducted a large-scale clinical evaluation in South Africa. From 2018, we plan to conduct clinical trials to acquire further evidence, which is driven by GHIT Fund's Phase 2. These trials are aimed to be included in the WHO's list of recommended medical device which is essential for our kit to be adopted in developing countries. In order for our kit to be adopted in countries that are suffering from TB, we will also promote our kit to the Ministries of Health of the relevant countries, human rights organizations, and global health NGOs, in addition to the WHO. We have now obtained simulation results that TB-LAM could reduce the TB infection rate by 16% and mortality by 39% in 10 years if the kit were to be widely used for HIV patients and children. The kit will greatly contribute to reducing both TB mortality rates and the spread of infection.

* POCT (Point of Care Test): An examination system that can be performed near the patient and provide results on the spot.

The Fujifilm Group has been offering support for medical skill improvement, human resource development, and medical infrastructure organization in various areas across the world. This has been achieved through participation in the international promotion of Japanese medical technology and services led by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and other organizations, as well as through Japan's Official Development Assistance (ODA). We particularly focused on spreading screening systems for breast cancer and other diseases in Middle Eastern countries where screening systems are not common, such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia. We have been promoting installation of digital mammography systems and offering image interpretation seminars, based on the cooperative relationships with Middle Eastern governments that we have built up over the years. In Africa, we have been leading the installation of medical equipment and training programs for doctors and technicians in areas where medical facilities are not sufficient through Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects. Through such efforts, we installed digital X-ray system in 13 medical institutions across Zambia in 2017, making screenings that used to be only available in cities more widely accessible across the country. Also, in Indonesia and Brazil, we established a medical infrastructure to realize telemedicine services in order to help correct disparities in medical standards between urban and rural areas.

In Thailand, we are preparing for the overseas business expansion of CureSign, which is already widespread in Japan. Thailand is experiencing a rising problem in terms of lifestyle diseases, along with its economic growth, yet disease prevention awareness and health check rates remain low. Our project received grants as a part of the JETRO Project for Nurturing New Industries in ASEAN and Japan, which will conclude on September 30, 2018. In the remaining period of the project, we are making progress with the final verifications toward CureSign commercialization.