Eiken Chemical Co., Ltd.

The COVID-19 pandemic had demonstrated the inseparability of healthcare and the economy. With the pandemic having an impact on economic activities globally, the world of healthcare had become uncertain. The relocation of staff and health care resources for addressing the pandemic had become a necessity; therefore, cancer screening programs for asymptomatic patients had be posed for the high prevalence of COVID-19 and the lack of referrals due to the fear of developing COVID-19 infection. Consequently, the use of the fecal immunochemical test (FIT)increased in areas widely used as a triage test prior to colonoscopy, especially via postal service.

The key factor for success in CRC screening is participation and enlargement of the target population. To this end, it was necessary to develop a stool collection device that allows subjects to collect specimens hygienically and tolerate mail transportation. Eiken’s OCSensor FIT (OC-Auto FIT) is a test system that meets all of such requirements and is the only FDA-certified automated product. It has been adopted by more than 45 countries in North America, Europe, and Asia, and the number of adoptions is still increasing in national and regional CRC screening. The number of deaths from colorectal cancer has declined in many countries since implementing OC-Sensor FIT in CRC screening.

Patients only need to take fecal samples privately at home and send them to GPs or laboratories, and such healthcare providers will send them the test results after a certain period. If patients get an abnormal result, however, it does not necessarily mean they have colorectal cancer. They are recommended to take a colonoscopy examination as a followup test

Achieving Global Health and UHC

Eiken’s proprietary LAMP-based testing system for infectious diseases contributes to the avoidance of social loss and subsequent economic development of developing countries by improving access to medical care. “Approximately ten million people are affected by tuberculosis each year, and about 1.5 million people die,” says Dr. Tsugunori Notomi, President and CEO of Eiken Chemical. “We have developed TB-LAMP, which was endorsed by WHO policy guidance in 2016 and recommended as alternative to smear microscopy.” Based on the LAMP method, TB-LAMP can be amplified by isothermal temperature. This enabled Eiken to succeed in simplifying and expediting this amplification to enable sensitive molecular testing, even in resourcelimited test environments. Due to its high amplification efficiency, the detection can be made by the naked eyes, and as a result, diagnoses for TB, malaria, NTDs, and SARS-COV-2 are being conducted not only in developed countries but also in developing countries.

Notably, LAMP products were strongly designed based on the assumption that they were used in all settings since the beginning of their development. As a consequence, LAMP can run on solar panels and batteries (no need for a cold chain for delivery, storage, and testing).

EIKEN WAY

To protect the health of people around the world, Eiken develops and provides products and services that meet the needs of our customers and society. As mentioned above, Eiken has set “EIKEN ROAD MAP 2030” to respond to the global paradigm shift in healthcare and incorporate the perspective of sustainability management.