July 11-13, 2007
2007 March to Victory Checkpoint

	Otsuka (Philippines) Pharmaceutical, Inc. held its Midyear Conference at the Island Cove Resort in Kawit Cavite last July 11-13, 2007. Various product trainings kicked-off the conference on July 11. Dr. Simonette Ganzon of St. Lukes Medical Center trained the field force on Pletaal Cardio in preparation for the Pletaal Cardio Expansion program.
Training on Mucosta and Pharmazole (Omeprazole, a Proton Pump Inhibitor) was done by Dr. Oscar Cabahug in preparation for the an aggressive campaign. And the Abilify CNS specialists were updated by Dr. Vicente Rosales from UST Hospital on Bipolar Disorder, its diagnosis and treatment.

July 12 was packed with the marketing presentations of the 2nd semester Plan of Action for Pletaal, Abilify, Mucosta, Aminoleban, Meptin and Firebird. Training by an interventionist from the Philippine Heart Center, Dr. Petite Yaneza, was included in the Firebird MRs second day agenda. The afternoon was capped with the Training and Detailing Session with our new Training Manager, Ms. Ivee Ballesteros where the field force simulated detailing sessions with their Team Leaders. Even with the eventful day, there was still time to dress up for the “Mano Po” dinner on the second night.

The plenary session on the third day was officially opened by OPPI President MR. Hirofumi Inoue with company updates and introduction of the new Otsuka Logo. Enhancement in the role of human resources was presented by Ms. Malou Jose and finance updates were provided by Mr. Jay Aquino. Mr. Pol Dimerin gave the overall Sales and Marketing direction for the 2nd half during the plenary and gave each and everyone a Windbreaker in time for the rainy season ahead both literally and figuratively.

Guest Speaker, Mr. Ricky De Vera stirred and motivated the group to go beyond expectations in terms of individual and overall performance. He stressed that it is each individual’s own decision to exceed and excel. We do not have to look outside ourselves; it is in every one of us; the ability to go beyond expectation is in YOU! It just depends if you are a circle, square, triangle or a squiggle.

ETMS updates and discussion along with sales planning was done in the afternoon of July 13 and the day was topped with the Bagets Fellowship Night where we were all taken back into the 1980’s era.

The 2007 midyear session was mostly a business meeting to check the effectiveness of the 1st half programs and efficiency in implementation as well as to give direction, improvement and changes for the 2nd half programs. And that is how it should be.

July 20, 2007 PGMA declares PAD awareness day

President Arroyo declared July 20 every year as the Peripheral Arterial Disease or PAD Awareness Day! Many Filipinos suffer from peripheral arterial disease (PAD) but don't even know they have this potentially life-threatening problem. For PAD patients, walking is usually associated with fatigue, numbness or cramping sensation in the legs, and even frank pain limiting one's mobility. Detecting PAD early is important to prevent the more serious complications it causes such as leg gangrene requiring leg amputation. It is also associated with an increased risk of a heart attack and stroke. Health authorities believe that a sustained public information campaign on PAD could help generate more awareness on this problem leading to early diagnosis and treatment.

The presidential proclamation was brought about by the collaboration of the Institute for the Studies of Diabetes Foundation (ISDF) together with the Philippine Society of Vascular Medicine (PSVM) and Otsuka Philippines Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (OPPI). The two medical societies and OPPI have been jointly conducting public information campaigns on PAD, which stresses the importance of recognizing the risk factors causing PAD.

According to Dr. Araceli Panelo, Executive Director of ISDF, patients at risk for PAD usually have one or more of the following risk factors: diabetes, smoking, hypertension, cholesterol problems and old age. These risk factors cause atherosclerosis, which is a progressive narrowing of the arteries in the body including those in the legs.

"This impairs the circulation which in severe cases may lead to gangrene," explained Dr. Panelo. "Detecting PAD early and promptly treating it will prevent leg muscle wasting and other more serious complications," she added.

Dr. Panelo also emphasized that the circulation in the legs can be a reflection of the overall health of the individual. "Ang paa ay salamin ng kalusugan ng buong katawan (The feet is the mirror of the health status of the entire body)," she said.During the first PAD Awareness Day last July 20, several active diabetes centers participated. These centers and their respective leaders were: Amang Rodriguez Hospital in Marikina (Dr. Panelo) in cooperation with the DOERs Club of Marikina (Pres. Miriam A. Villanueva), the City Health Office in Antipolo (Dr. Marife Guerrero), Pasig City Health Office (Dr. Emma Ruth Cuevas), Caloocan General Hospital (Dr. Rodolfo Rabanal), Camp Aguinaldo (Dr. Maybelle Yanuaria), Mandaluyong City Health Center (Dr. Panelo), and Pasay City General Hospital (Dr. Ernesto Ang). All the activities were closely monitored by Otsuka Pharmaceuticals led by its Marketing Manager, Kervin Dela Cruz and his team of managers.

On the same day, 2000 patients attended the lay forum in the different centers and about 1600 patients were able to avail free ankle brachial index (ABI) screening and monofilament testing, commonly used tests for detecting PAD. The ABI screening is a patient-friendly, inexpensive technique that compares blood pressures between the patient's arms and legs. The ABI also provides information regarding severity of PAD that can assist in guiding the best treatment approach for the patient.

Diagnosed PAD patients were given cilostazol (Pletaal) samples, an antiplatelet drug which is used to treat PAD. Well-designed clinical trials conducted in the United States have shown that cilostazol is effective in the relief of symptoms and prevention of the worsening of PAD. In these studies, diabetic and non-diabetic patients with PAD responded favorably to cilostazol. During the event, patients were also given free patient foot care guides and other useful materials. Another first for Otsuka (Philippines) Pharmaceutical, Inc.!

August 16-19 2007
Otsuka to Central Luzon for SSP Congress

Last Aug 16 to 19 ,2007 , the Stroke Society of the Philippines in cooperation with the Department of Health held its 8th Annual Convention entitled “Empowering the Community against Stroke” at the El Centro Convention Center, Legenda Hotel, Subic Olongapo City .

Over 300 Neurologist including allied medical professionals attended the three day event for and update on the treatment and prevention of Stroke. The Organizers aimed to spread disease awareness not only to medical practitioners but to the public as well. In line with this objective, a "Stroke Lay Forum" was conducted last Aug 16, 2007 at the Gordon Convention Center where stroke survivors shared their experiences. The next two days of the convention was filled with scientific session on comprehensive topics and workshops for the delegates.

OPPI participation includes booth rental, official SSP transportation, MD sponsorships and Fellowship Night participation. Welcome dinners were provided to all OPPI delegates on August 15 and 16. As a corporate member we joined the fellowship night entitled "Pirates of SSP" by presenting a dance number together with Dr. Jose Navarro, the SSP 1st Vice President and Dr. Artemio Roxas, the organizing chairman of the convention. OPPI participation was recognized by the Society during the Closing Ceremonies.
This is one of the endeavor that further strengthens the bond between OPPI and SSP. Looking into the future, OPPI and SSP would have a more productive partnership with the same goal of increasing patient awareness by information dissemination on Stroke and through continuing medical education.