NewsJuly 4, 2023

Wemex and Octawell Announce Capital and Business Alliance to Leverage Resources of Two Solution Providers in the Health Management Industry

Wemex Corporation (headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, President, Representative Director: Takayuki Otsuka, hereafter Wemex), a wholly-owned subsidiary of PHC Holdings Corporation (headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo), announces that it will enter a capital and business alliance with Octawell Inc. (headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Reiko Takaki, hereafter Octawell). Through this alliance, Wemex will expand its solutions for health checkup and healthy lifestyle guidance to include Octawell's nutrition guidance services to advance business in health management in Japan.

Currently, there are as many as 54 million people^*1 in Japan who are enrolled in medical insurance and required by the government to receive specified health checkups and healthy lifestyle guidance^*2 that support prevention and early detection of lifestyle-related diseases. A variety of government-led programs are underway to improve people’s lifestyle habits, including the fourth guideline for health checkups and healthy lifestyle guidance^*3 due to take effect in Japan beginning in FY2024. It is on this basis that this market is expected to grow significantly within the health management business.

Wemex provides outsourced clerical services for health checkups in partnership with more than 2,800 health and medical institutions nationwide, and provides healthy lifestyle guidance through its “WellPort Step” digital platform. Octawell supports individual nutritional guidance by nutritionists and provides digital tools for efficient health guidance through its information and communication technology (ICT) solutions and a nationwide network of registered dietitians.

Under this new alliance, Wemex and Octawell will combine their respective resources to support health insurance societies and provide health lifestyle guidance to more people. The two companies will also seek to contribute to preventing disease and increasing the health of people, through programs that can be started the day of a health checkup. These programs will improve uptake of guidance, and the companies will seek to jointly develop other health solutions integrating each other’s resources.

Reiko Takaki, Representative Director of Octawell, said, “Developing services that suitably combine the respective healthcare expertise of both companies creates a foundation for better services. The fourth phase of the medium and long-term medical care expenditure regulation plan in Japan, starting in the next fiscal year, will require higher quality of health guidance and improved preventive services. I believe that our capital and business alliance with Wemex will create the foundation to develop quality services that meet these needs and drive digital transformation in preventive care.”

Takayuki Otsuka, President and Representative Director of Wemex, said, “Wemex is committed to expanding our business in digital health solutions, which is outlined as one of our growth areas in PHC Group’s mid-term plan, or Value Creation Plan^*4. As the first milestone, Wemex incorporated the health checkup support business^*5 from another member of the PHC Group, LSI Medience, in April. This new alliance with Octawell will help us contribute to the well-being of people who are in health insurance societies as well as their family members. As a solution provider offering comprehensive support for health management, we will provide services that help people visualize health conditions as well as new value-added preventive health solutions for companies, health insurance societies, and health checkup institutions.”

*1 Source: "Data on Health Checkups and Healthy Lifestyle Guidance" (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/newpage_03092.html
*2 Health measures established in Japan require health checkups and prevention of lifestyle-related diseases for people aged 40 to 70 years old. Specialists (public health nurses, nationally registered dietitians, etc.) support people at high risk of developing lifestyle-related diseases based on the results of health examinations required by health insurers.
*3 Source: "The 4th Study Group on the Review of the 4th Health Checkup and Healthy Lifestyle Guidance: Materials" (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/newpage_32325.html
*4 For more information, please see the mid-term plan for FY22-FY25 announced by PHC Holdings Corporation:
www.phchd.com/global/about/vcp
*5 For more information, please see press release:
www.phchd.com/global/news/2023/0227

About Octawell Inc.

Octawell Inc. provides quality nutritional guidance solutions, including healthy lifestyle guidance using its nationwide network of dietitians and in-house IT technology. Our dietitians support preventing lifestyle-related diseases (especially healthy lifestyle guidance) by recommending and executing diets and workouts tailored for each individual.
URL: octawell.co.jp
Location: 1-9-6-204 Yoyogi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Representative: Reiko Takaki, CEO

About Wemex Corporation

Wemex Corporation is dedicated to providing healthcare IT products and services that promote the digital transformation of healthcare. It is a Japanese subsidiary of PHC Holdings Corporation (TSE 6523), a healthcare company that delivers solutions around the world. Wemex started operations as a new company in April 2023, providing one-stop solutions from planning and development to sales. Along with Medicom brand medical-receipt and electronic medical record systems, Wemex offers solutions, including pharmacy management, healthy lifestyle guidance, and telemedicine systems in Japan. Wemex’s goal is to improve healthcare services for patients and efficiency for healthcare professionals.
URL: www.wemex.com (Japanese only)
Location: 14F NBF Shibuya Garden Front, 3-25-18 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Representative: President, Representative Director, Takayuki Otsuka

About PHC Holdings Corporation

PHC Holdings Corporation (TSE 6523) is a global healthcare company with a mission of contributing to the health of society through healthcare solutions that have a positive impact and improve the lives of people. Its subsidiaries include PHC Corporation, Ascensia Diabetes Care Holdings AG, Epredia Holdings Ltd., Wemex Corporation, and LSI Medience Corporation. Together, these companies develop, manufacture, sell and service solutions across diabetes management, healthcare solutions, diagnostics and life sciences. The consolidated net sales in FY2022 were JPY 356.4 billion with global distribution of products and services in more than 125 countries and regions. PHC Group is a collective term referring to PHC Holdings Corporation and its subsidiaries.
URL: www.phchd.com