Santen Joins Inaugural Global Summit for Eye Health as High-Impact Partner
Osaka, Japan – 5 August 2026 – Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. today announced it will join the inaugural Global Summit for Eye Health as a High Impact Partner, marking another step in the company’s long-standing commitment to advancing eye health worldwide.
Organized by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) in technical collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Summit will bring together heads of government, ministers, international organizations, civil society, and private-sector leaders in Antigua & Barbuda, a Caribbean island nation on 2 November 2026.
Together, they will launch the Global Eye Health Compact, a new global framework designed to accelerate progress through measurable commitments from governments and organizations.
As a High Impact Partner, Santen helps shape the Global Eye Health Compact and, at the Summit, will unveil its global eye health commitment, outlining how the company will contribute to improving eye health over the coming years.
Despite being essential to education, employment, independence, and healthy aging, eye health remains one of the world’s most overlooked public health challenges. More than one billion people worldwide continue to live with avoidable vision impairment*1, highlighting a critical gap between available solutions and access to care. Addressing this challenge requires coordinated action across prevention, early diagnosis, treatment, and public policy.
Rie Nakajima, Director of the Board, Chief Operating Officer of Santen Global, commented: “No single organization can solve the growing burden of vision impairment alone. By working alongside governments, healthcare professionals, patient organizations, and global partners, we can help strengthen eye health systems, improve access to quality eye care, and deliver lasting benefits for people around the world. With more than 135 years of dedication to eye health, Santen is proud to join this global coalition.”
Santen’s participation builds on its longstanding collaboration with IAPB and partners across the eye health community to strengthen policy, raise awareness, and promote early action, including initiatives to advance childhood myopia and encourage healthy eye health habits for children.
Peter Holland, CEO, IAPB, commented: “We welcome Santen’s participation in the first Global Summit for Eye Health and look forward to continuing our collaboration to strengthen eye health policies and improve outcomes for over 1 billion people who experience vision problems worldwide. Only by working together like this can we deliver eye care services at scale and speed to end avoidable or treatable sight loss.”
About Santen
Santen is a global pharmaceutical company committed to advancing eye health and improving lives through better vision. Founded in 1890 in Osaka, Japan, Santen makes use of more than 135 years of experience in research and development, manufacturing, and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical devices to help people around the globe maintain and improve their eye health. Santen focuses exclusively on eye health and its portfolio includes glaucoma, dry eye, infection, allergy, age-related macular degeneration, and myopia. Santen’s products and services are available in more than 60 countries and regions. Guided by its Core Principle “Tenki ni sanyo suru” – Exploring the secrets and mechanisms of nature in order to contribute to people’s health – Santen combines its expertise with deep patient focus to contribute to the realization of “Happiness with Vision.”
For more information, please visit https://www.santen.com/en.
About the Global Summit of Eye Health
On 2 November, Antigua and Barbuda will host the world’s first Global Summit for Eye Health — the moment when governments, partners and global leaders unite for the first time to ensure everyone, everywhere can access the eye care they need. At the Summit, countries will set out concrete commitments to strengthen eye health services worldwide, aligning global action and accelerating progress to help reach over 1 billion people living with avoidable sight-loss. For more information, please visit Global Summit for Eye Health - Making the world see the value of vision
About IAPB
IAPB is the overarching alliance for the global eye health sector, with more than 250 member organisations in over 100 countries working together for a world where everyone has universal access to eye care. IAPB believes in a world in which no one is needlessly visually impaired, where everyone has access to the best possible standard of eye health; and where those with irreparable sight loss achieve their full potential. Its key priorities are global advocacy, campaigning on a different level, sharing knowledge, and strengthening the network: www.iapb.org.
Partnership Transparency Statement
Santen supports the activities described in this initiative through collaboration with IAPB. The organizations maintain independent governance and decision-making. The views expressed by IAPB are its own and do not necessarily reflect those of Santen.
For media inquiries:
Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Corporate Communications
Email: communication@santen.com
This press release has been published in Japanese, Simplified Chinese and English languages and in the event of any inconsistency, the English version shall prevail.
