HEISEI PERIOD & THE FUTURE
Role of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers(Oroshi) in Maintaining the Health Care System
Pharmaceutical wholesalers(Oroshi) were largely comprised of companies with local roots, but they developed into larger consolidated groups after with the modernization of distribution. The number of wholesale companies dropped from about 300 in 1989, to less than 100 more recently, and each is working tirelessly just to survive.Following the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 and the Kumamoto Earthquakes in 2016, pharmaceutical wholesalers(Oroshi) in various regions worked together to urgently deliver ethical drugs to the affected areas, and they have made every effort to ensure the maintenance of supplies. The important role played by wholesalers in maintaining medical systems in during emergencies is still fresh in people’s memories.
Sustainable Health Care Environment
By 2025, Japan is expected to have an ultra-aged society the type of which humankind has never before experienced. As baby boomers move past the age of 75 into later old age, one in three citizens will be age 65 or older while one in five will be 75 or older. Social security costs, such as long-term care and medical care costs are expected to skyrocket.Given this, Encise was established in 2012 by pharmaceutical wholesalers(Oroshi) who support long-term health in Japan, to make careful plans for managing risk and improve the efficiency of drug distribution based on the massive amounts of data on medical and pharmaceutical products that is collected on a daily basis, and thereby to contribute to realize a sustainable medical society.
- Reference materials: 55 Years of the Drug Wholesaling Industry (The Federation of Japan Pharmaceutical Wholesalers Association), company histories of each company