Contribution to Ophthalmology

Santen will make efforts to pursue healthy eyes and access to medicine so as to reduce the number of untreated patients by contributing to healthcare in ophthalmology, which is our business field.

Activities to Prevent Vision Loss due to Glaucoma


Introducing a glaucoma treatment continuation program

Glaucoma is the leading cause of vision loss in Japan. One of the challenges concerning glaucoma is that many patients with this almost symptomless disease discontinue their medical treatment. As an initiative to encourage glaucoma patients to continue to receive medical treatment, Santen has developed ACT Pack®, a glaucoma treatment adherence program. This program has been provided to and utilized by more than 2,000 medical institutions until FY2024 in Japan. A report(*) says that the introduction of ACT Pack® increased the six-month adherence rate from 42.1% to 94.2%.

This program has been introduced to outside of Japan. In Asia, ACT Pack® is digitalized as a communication tool for healthcare providers and patients to encourage patients to continue treatment.

  • Report on an increase in the six-month adherence rate from a level before the introduction of 42.1% to 94.2%: Tanaka, Toshihiro et al. (2020), Ganka, 62 (8): 801-807


Offering support for awareness-raising activities for early detection

The World Glaucoma Association and the World Glaucoma Patients Association play leading roles in performing various knowledge-sharing activities around the world for one week in March designated as the World Glaucoma Week (WGW), aiming to build public awareness of glaucoma.


Digital solution for people to understand Glaucoma

As a global activity not targeting any specific regions, Santen has been releasing a new version of the Glaucoma Vision Simulation app to inspire many more people, including ordinary people, medical professionals, patients, and their caretakers to deepen their understanding of glaucoma.
The Glaucoma Vision Simulation app is available for download from;

Improving Access to Healthcare in Accordance with the Characteristics of Local Communities

We recognize poor access to health and medical care in many emerging countries as a serious issue to be solved. In such countries, a shortage of ophthalmologists and other professionals related to ophthalmic treatment has prevented patients from receiving adequate medical treatment or even being correctly diagnosed. In addition, a shortage of medical technicians involved in examinations has forced ophthalmologists to conduct even basic examinations on their own, resulting in a general decrease in productivity. To enable such ophthalmologists to increase their skills in cataract surgery and glaucoma treatment and spend more time treating their patients, Santen works with external partners to offer training systems and medical information to ophthalmologists. Moreover, we also devote serious efforts to educating medical examination staff, who provide doctors with valuable support. We therefore aim to improve medical access in emerging countries.

Supporting Ophthalmic Care Activities in Developing Countries by Donations of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices

The Company donates pharmaceuticals and medical devices such as intraocular lenses for groups which conduct ophthalmic care activities in developing countries.
In donating products, we ensure compliance with WHO guidelines for drug donations, relevant national and regional laws and regulations, and industry self-imposed regulations.

Fiscal yearRecipient
2024Ophthalmic Medical Support in Mongol
Association for Ophthalmic Support in Africa
Ophthalmic Medical Support in Vietnam
Association for Ophthalmic Cooperation in Asia
Japan Tanzania Eye Medical Support Team
2023Ophthalmic Medical Support in Cambodia
Association for Ophthalmic Cooperation in Asia
Association for Ophthalmic Support in Africa
2022Ophthalmic Medical Support in Vietnam
Chinese Red Cross Foundation
2021Ophthalmic Medical Support in Cambodia
2020Activities were suspended due to the influence of the COVID-19 infection
2019Association for Ophthalmic Cooperation in Asia
Association for Ophthalmic Support in Africa
Japan Tanzania Eye Medical Support Team
Japan-Philippines Volunteer Medical Service Activities
Ophthalmic Medical Support in Vietnam
Ophthalmic Medical Support in Dominica
2018Association for Ophthalmic Cooperation in Asia
Asia Prevention of Blindness Association
Association for Ophthalmic Support in Africa
Japan Tanzania Eye Medical Support Team
Japan-Philippines Volunteer Medical Service Activities
Ophthalmic Medical Support in Nepal
Ophthalmic Medical Support in Cambodia

Initiatives to Combat Rare Diseases

Development and research for orphan drugs sometimes suffer delays because of the very small number of patients, despite their very serious need for this kind of drug. Santen is also strongly committed to improving medical access for patients suffering from rare diseases in the ophthalmic field.


Verkazia, a vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) treatment

Vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) is a recurrent serious allergic eye condition, most common in children and adolescents, characterized by severe inflammation of the ocular surface, including corneas and conjunctivas. Its symptoms include intense eye itching, eye pain, and highlight sensitivity, which can hinder the daily lives of patients. Without adequate treatment, severe cases may cause corneal ulcers and visual impairments.

Santen has developed and been marketing Verkazia, a cyclosporine ophthalmic emulsion for VKC, which features a long-time stay on the ocular surface and improved corneal absorption based on Santen's proprietary cationic nanoemulsion technology.

Santen has obtained approval for Verkazia in a broad range of countries across the EU, Asia - including China - and other regions. To remove the limitations imposed by VKC on the activities of young patients around the world and help them return to as comfortable a daily life as possible, we are doing our best to facilitate the supply of this product.


jCell, a Cell Therapy Targeting Retinitis Pigmentosa

Retinitis pigmentosa, a disease caused by genetic mutations, causes wide-ranging degeneration of retinal photoreceptor cells and retinal pigment epithelial cells. Characteristic symptoms caused by the condition include night blindness, narrowing of the visual field, and decreased visual acuity. It often strikes people in their teens, with many patients rendered blind by middle age. Worldwide, approximately 1.9 million patients suffer from the disease (*1). In Japan, estimates suggest 18.7 people per 100,000 of population have the condition (*2). Retinitis pigmentosa has a wide impact on everyday life as it affects any operation requiring vision including movement and learning. There are currently very few treatments available for retinitis pigmentosa, with no treatments being available for all forms of the diseases, irrespective of the underlying genetic cause. Therefore, this is an area of significant unmet medical need.

As part of its efforts to unlock the power of cell and gene therapies to address high unmet medical needs in ophthalmology, Santen has concluded an exclusive licensing agreement with U.S.-based jCyte for the rights to develop and market jCell (*3), an investigational cell therapy with the potential to be a first-in-class, gene-agnostic treatment for retinitis pigmentosa. jCell has been granted Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) based on early clinical data, and has also received Orphan Drug designation from both the FDA and the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

  1. Hamel C. Retinitis pigmentosa. Orphanet J Rare Dis. 2006;1:40.
  2. Japanese Ophthalmological Society
    https://www.nichigan.or.jp/public/disease/name.html?pdid=53
  3. jCell: A cell therapy product under development, primarily composed of retinal progenitor cells