About UsBusiness and Structure of Sawai Group

Sawai Group has long contributed to healthier lives through its prescription drugs business, with a primary focus on generic pharmaceutical products. Building on this strong foundation, we are now expanding beyond pharmaceutical treatment by accelerating the development of our digital and medical devices business. Through this business, we aim to deliver optimal care across every stage of the healthcare journey— from the Mibyo*/prevention phase through recovery.

  • Mibyo refers to a state between health and disease in which individuals have no noticeable symptoms but face an increased risk of developing illness. By detecting Mibyo and taking appropriate preventive measures, the onset of disease can be prevented or delayed.

By providing options beyond pharmaceutical treatment, we aim to contribute to extending healthy life expectancy and improving the health of as many people as possible. As a comprehensive healthcare company, we will continue to take on new challenges.

The information on products (including those under development) and diseases presented on this page is provided solely to introduce our business to stakeholders. It is not intended as advertising or promotional material, nor does it constitute a recommendation to purchase or use any product or service.

The Group operates its prescription drugs business and digital and medical devices business across the three phases of Mibyo/prevention, treatment, and recovery and maintenance. For the treatment phase, our prescription drugs business primarily provides generic pharmaceutical products for pharmacological treatment. For the Mibyo/prevention phase, our digital and medical devices business provides wristband-type activity trackers and PHR management app as non-medical devices for collecting, recording, and managing health data. For the treatment phase, we provide treatment support apps and non-invasive neuromodulation devices as medical devices that offer treatment options beyond pharmacological treatment. For the recovery and maintenance phase, we provide the Hand Rehabilitation System as a medical device for rehabilitation. For the Mibyo/prevention phase, we aim to support disease and frailty prevention, detect disease risks to encourage early medical consultation and facilitate timely treatment, and support treatment through data sharing. For the recovery and maintenance phase, we aim to improve treatment outcomes through early intervention and help prevent complications and disease progression.

Prescription Drugs Business

Led by Sawai Pharmaceutical, we manufacture and market prescription drugs, including generic drugs, in Japan. By reducing patients’ financial burden and contributing to the reduction of national healthcare costs, we have established ourselves as a leading company in the generic pharmaceutical industry.

Key Features and Strengths

R&D Capabilities

Intellectual property strategies enabling early product launches and the development of value-added formulations

Stable Supply Capabilities

One of Japan’s leading production systems

Information Provision Capabilities

A broad product portfolio and an effective information provision system

Social Contribution

Improving access to healthcare and contributing to healthcare financing through our business activities

R&D Capabilities

Our robust R&D capabilities are built on proprietary intellectual property strategies, advanced technological expertise, and rigorous quality management.

Expertise in Patent Research and Analysis for Originator Drugs

To accelerate the launch of new products, we conduct thorough investigations and analyses of patents related to originator drugs from the earliest stages of research and development. Based on multifaced assessment of IP risks, we carefully determine the potential of patent circumvention, enabling the timely commercialization of new products.
In parallel, we design formulations with long-term stable supply in mind from the outset of development. Leveraging the extensive technical expertise and know-how gained through the development of approximately 700 products, we are able to efficiently develop a wide variety of products within short development timelines.

Development of High-Value-Added Generic Drugs

Our product development is driven by the needs of healthcare professionals and patients. Through close collaboration and active information sharing across divisions, including sales and manufacturing, we continue to develop proprietary technologies that add value to medicines.

Original Innovative Pharmaceutical Technology SAWAI HARMOTECH®

SAWAI HARMOTECH® is the collective name for Sawai Pharmaceutical’s proprietary formulation technologies, including patented and patent-pending technologies, developed to meet the needs of healthcare professionals and patients. This includes technologies that make it easier to swallow medicine and that pursue ease of handling of medicine, including storage and portability, and adds significant value to medicines by continuously enhancing ease of taking and handling.

Learn more (PDF: 1.1MB) Opens in a new window.

QualityHug®—Supporting Patients Through Science and Technology

QualityHug® is Sawai Pharmaceutical’s original technology that uses the power of science and technology to respond to patients’ concerns and anxieties as if giving them a “hug.” It includes technologies such as a tablet pattern transfer technology that enables immediate identification of Sawai Pharmaceutical products, as well as measures to prevent contamination by the carcinogenic substance nitrosamine. (Patent applications filed and published)
* Winner of the 2024 Good Design Award

Learn more Opens in a new window.

  • Japanese Language Website

Stable Supply Capabilities

One of Japan’s Leading Production Systems

With eight formulation factories in Japan, we have established one of the industry’s leading supply systems, with an annual production capacity of approximately 20.5 billion tablets as of 2026. Through the proactive introduction of advanced equipment and systems, we strive to ensure a stable supply of generic drugs while reducing risks.
For example, we are promoting multi-source purchasing, which involves sourcing the same active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) from multiple suppliers, as well as the development of smart factories through the automation and labor-saving of manufacturing lines. These initiatives simultaneously improve production efficiency, reduce costs, and eliminate human errors.
Furthermore, to ensure thorough compliance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), the standards for pharmaceutical manufacturing and quality control stipulated by law, we are expanding the introduction of Manufacturing Execution System (MES) and Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) technologies across all our factories (already implemented at some factories and being rolled out to the remaining factories). By systematizing a rigorous process in which products cannot proceed to the next stage unless they pass the required tests at each step, we continue to pursue further improvements in quality and reliability.

Information Provision Capabilities

Appropriate Information Provision

Through three channels—the more than 300 medical representatives (MRs), the Medical Information Center providing support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for healthcare professionals, and the comprehensive healthcare professional information website “sawai medical site”—we provide high-quality information.
We have established two-way communication processes that enable us to promptly collect and analyze information on adverse reactions and safety from healthcare settings and provide feedback to support the appropriate use of medicines. In addition, we operate a cycle of quickly incorporating feedback from healthcare professionals and patients into future product improvements.

Broad Product Portfolio

The Group’s product portfolio comprises approximately 700 products. By offering a diverse range of products, we are able to collect and provide information across a broad range of therapeutic areas, supporting healthcare professionals in treatment planning and in meeting diverse needs.
As MRs handle a broad range of products, they acquire extensive knowledge through continuous training. By building cross-therapeutic-area expertise, they are able to provide information from a broader perspective, including multiple treatment options for the same disease and information on concomitant medications, contributing to more appropriate treatment choices tailored to each patient’s condition.

Social Contribution

Improving Access to Healthcare and Contributing to Healthcare Financing Through Our Business Activities

By providing generic drugs with quality, efficacy, and safety equivalent to those of originator drugs at lower prices and with a stable supply, we help reduce patients’ financial burden and contribute to the sound management of Japan’s healthcare financing.

Number of Tablets Sold

Approximately 17.1 billion tablets per year
(FY2025 results)

Healthcare Cost Savings

Approximately ¥212.9 billion per year
(FY2025 results)

Overview Diagram

Sawai Pharmaceutical contracts manufacturing, and contracts R&D to Trust Pharmatech, and sells and buys products etc. with Medisa Shinyaku. Medisa Shinyaku contracts R&D (including joint development) and contracts manufacturing to Sawai Pharmaceutical, and sells products to Kaken Shoyaku. Kaken Shoyaku sells APIs to Sawai Pharmaceutical.

Digital and Medical Devices Business

Sawai Pharmaceutical and FrontAct have begun taking on challenges in the digital and medical devices business.
By providing products and services covering a wide range of phases throughout the patient journey—from disease prevention and diagnosis to treatment, recovery, and maintenance—we aim to contribute to the extension of healthy life expectancy.

Mibyo/Prevention Phase

We provide wearable activity trackers and a personal health record (PHR) management app with the aim of encouraging early medical consultation through the detection of disease risks, as well as supporting appropriate treatment by linking vital data and lifestyle records with healthcare institutions.

Wearable Activity Tracker

Wristband-Type Activity Tracker MiMoRy
* Image is for illustrative purposes only.

Developed independently by FrontAct, MiMoRy is a wristband-type wearable device designed to support the prediction of diseases such as depression and frailty (physical and mental vulnerability associated with aging), which are important social issues, and to enable early intervention.
By utilizing data obtained from MiMoRy, we aim to help prevent deterioration of health conditions and contribute to extending people’s healthy life expectancy.

MiMoRy Product Page Opens in a new window.

  • Japanese Language Website
  • This product is not a medical device.

Adoption Example

FrontAct entered into a purchase agreement with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government on June 18, 2025, for MiMoRy as part of its FY2025 Health Promotion for Seniors Utilizing Apps. Under this agreement, FrontAct delivered 5,000 units.

Learn more (PDF: 758KB)

Personal Health Record (PHR) Management App

SaluDi
* Image is for illustrative purposes only.

SaluDi is a smartphone application provided by Sawai Pharmaceutical that enables users to record and manage vital data, such as blood pressure, body weight, and blood glucose levels, as well as dietary and exercise records and medication information, all in one place.
Developed under the concept of Johbiyaku®, which combines digital technology with health information to support personal health management, the application aims to help create a healthier society. It supports not only the management of lifestyle-related diseases but also preventive healthcare by helping local residents and corporate employees manage their health.
Through these initiatives, we aim to help address social challenges such as rising healthcare costs driven by population aging and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, including diabetes and hypertension.

SaluDi Official Website Opens in a new window.

  • Japanese Language Website
  • This product is not a medical device.

Adoption Examples

Healthcare institution adoption: Approximately 3,000 healthcare institutions (as of June 2026)
Local government adoption: Yabu City, Hyogo Prefecture; Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture; and Yoro Town, Gifu Prefecture
Application downloads: Approximately 130,000 downloads (as of June 2026)

Treatment Phase

With the aim of expanding treatment options by providing alternatives beyond pharmaceutical treatment and new opportunities for care, we have begun initiatives involving treatment support apps and neuromodulation devices that utilize digital technology.

Treatment Support Apps

Treatment support apps are under the concept of Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) or digital therapeutics (DTx) and refer to medical devices that require regulatory approval and can be prescribed by physicians as part of medical treatment. Unlike healthcare applications that do not require regulatory approval, these apps have clinical evidence supported by clinical trials and may be eligible for insurance coverage.

Alcohol Reduction Treatment Support App HAUDY
* Image is for illustrative purposes only.

HAUDY is a treatment support app for patients with alcohol dependence whose treatment goal is reducing alcohol consumption. Sawai Pharmaceutical began marketing the app in September 2025. It enables early treatment for people struggling with alcohol dependence and supports them in reducing alcohol consumption by helping them improve their drinking habits.
The app also supports disease awareness initiatives and aims to contribute to addressing challenges associated with alcohol-related health disorders.

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) Awareness Website

AUD Alcohol Sodanshitsu
(an informative site for patients with AUD)
Opens in a new window.

  • Japanese Language Website

Approval number: 30700BZX00034000
Classification: Controlled medical device
Generic name: Alcohol dependence treatment support program
Intended use or effectiveness: Support for reducing alcohol consumption in patients with alcohol dependence
Manufacturer: CureApp, Inc.
Distributor: Sawai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
HAUDY is the sales name for CureApp AUD: A Digital Therapeutic to Reduce Alcohol Consumption.

Non-Invasive Neuromodulation Devices

Neuromodulation is a therapeutic approach that adjusts (modulates) nerve function by stimulating nerves using electrical, magnetic, or pharmacological methods. It includes invasive and non-invasive approaches, as well as treatments involving surgical procedures to implant devices in the body.
It is an active area of research and development as a new treatment option for patients with psychiatric or neurological disorders whose symptoms do not achieve remission or persist despite pharmacological treatment.
In December 2023, Sawai Pharmaceutical obtained approval for the manufacture and marketing of Relivion®, a non-invasive neuromodulation device intended for the acute-stage treatment of migraine. The device is currently being provided as a self-funded medical service while preparations are underway for potential insurance coverage.
In addition, we have initiated activities toward obtaining approval for the manufacture and marketing in Japan of Proliv®Rx, a non-invasive neuromodulation device for depression that was launched in the United States in February 2026 (following FDA approval in December 2025).

Recovery and Maintenance (Rehabilitation) Phase

We provide rehabilitation medical devices with the aim of improving treatment outcomes through early intervention after treatment, preventing complications and disease progression, and supporting early return to society and independent living.

Rehabilitation Medical Device

MELTz Hand Rehabilitation System
* Image is for illustrative purposes only.

MELTz is a rehabilitation device sold by FrontAct that combines an algorithm for identifying imagined hand and finger movements from electromyographic signals (biological signals) with a robotic device that assists movement based on the user’s intended movements.
The system addresses social challenges such as upper limb paralysis and the need for long-term care caused by cerebrovascular disorders, while responding to patients’ desire to regain the ability to use their hands.

Active extension / bending and stretching rotation exercise equipment
Medical device certification No.304AIBZX00014000

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