Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Otsuka) announces that its Indonesia subsidiaries, PT Otsuka Indonesia (PTOI) and PT Amerta Indah Otsuka (PTAIO) are the recipients of the 2024 Ending Workplace Tuberculosis (EWTB) Exemplar Award. This prestigious award, announced in time for the World TB Day on March 24, recognizes outstanding contributions of companies such as Otsuka to help eliminate tuberculosis (TB).

The Exemplar Award is given by the EWTB to selected companies which have demonstrated highly impactful efforts in addressing workplace tuberculosis in high-TB-burden settings. The EWTB is a joint initiative supported by the Global Fund, Stop TB Partnership, World Economic Forum, and more than 40 prominent companies. It was launched in 2020 to strengthen and mobilise the business sector's role in detecting, treating, and preventing tuberculosis in the workplace. Otsuka joined the EWTB project in 2022.

To be eligible for the award, organisations must demonstrate a long-term commitment and ongoing contributions towards TB care and prevention in the workplace. Otsuka Novel Products GmbH (ONPG) as the company's hub for TB operations has facilitated nomination of the award. ONPG works closely with Otsuka Indonesia and other Otsuka affiliates, and facilitates liaisons with the global health networks dedicated to the fight against TB.

With Indonesia having the second-highest TB burden in the world, PTOI and PTAIO set their sights on addressing TB in the workplace through their program FREE Tuberculosis at Workplaces. Since the project's inception in July 2022, PTOI, PTAIO, and their 31 corporate collaborators have been able to screen more than 70,000 employees for tuberculosis. This makes it one of the largest coordinated corporate TB screening programs in the world, enabling diagnosis of people who might not otherwise have received treatment in a timely manner. The program also provides medical and nutritional support for those found to be ill with TB, connecting them to local health services and nutritional counseling to ensure they receive the best possible care and can recover with fewer difficulties.

An op-ed released by the World Economic Forum on this important public health initiative is now available online: (https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2024/03/tuberculosis-workplace-protection-business/).

About Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that most often affects the lungs and is caused by bacteria. It spreads through the air when infected people cough, sneeze, or spit. TB is preventable and curable. About a quarter of the global population is estimated to have been infected with TB bacteria, and five to 10 percent of people infected with TB will eventually get symptoms and develop TB disease.