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Santen Pharmaceutical partnership agreement with ITU supporting ITU and WHO initiative “Be He@lthy, Be Mobile” in ophthalmology

Fri 10 January 2020

Geneva, Switzerland — Santen announced it has entered into a partnership agreement with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a specialised agency of the United Nations, to support “Be He@lthy, Be Mobile” (BHBM) in ophthalmology, an initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the ITU.

In regards to BHBM, Santen and the ITU will focus on preventable non-communicable diseases in the ophthalmology area with the aim of achieving eye health. BHBM is a digital health initiative between the WHO and the ITU in support of the WHO's expansion of services in non-communicable diseases. This initiative is designed to raise awareness of the prevention and management of non-communicable diseases through the use of mobile phones and digital devices in order to realise healthy lifestyles. It is estimated that almost the entire world population (97 per cent) lives within reach of a mobile cellular signal,1 and today its service is expanding digital health services and geographic reach, including the distribution of health information and content to end users through SMS (short message service) and digital device apps. 

Shigeo Taniuchi, President and COO of Santen said:
"We are pleased to have entered into a partnership agreement with the ITU, which aims to promote global economic and social development through digital technology. As a first global partner from Japan and also in ophthalmology of BHBM, we will actively incorporate new technologies and support providing information to people with eye diseases."

Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau said:
"The participation of Santen in BHBM initiative highlights the importance of investing in technologies which can empower people to manage their own health and for medical professionals to better provide care from prevention to diagnosis and treatment. At ITU, we are expanding our partnership and collaboration with various stakeholders in order to bring the benefits of technology to the people, in every area and every walk of life." 

Reference:

  1. ITU Facts and Figures. https://www.itu.int/en/ITU- D/Statistics/Documents/facts/FactsFigures2019.pdf. [Last accessed March 2020]

 

Document no: PP-SANTEN-EMEA-0032
Date of preparation: March 2020