[Group News] H.U. POCkeT and IISHINBAN to Engage in Osteoporosis Prevention Effectiveness Verification Project in Three Municipalities in Fukuoka Prefecture

H.U. POCkeT Co., Ltd. (President and CEO: Satoru Isago), a consolidated subsidiary, and IISHINBAN Co., Ltd. (Representative Director: Katsuhiro Mitsui) are pleased to announce their respective roles in the "Effectiveness Verification Project for Osteoporosis Prevention Using Mail-in Testing" (hereinafter referred to as "the Project"), to be conducted in Yukuhashi City (Mayor: Masahiro Kudo), Soeda Town (Mayor: Akio Teranishi), and Akamura (Village Head: Takashi Nakamura) in Fukuoka Prefecture. H.U. POCkeT will be responsible for shipping test kits and conducting tests, while IISHINBAN will provide the PHR (Personal Health Record) system.

Osteoporosis is a major cause of fractures and the need for long-term care. Since fiscal year 2023, osteoporosis screening has been institutionalized under the Health Promotion Act. However, the osteoporosis screening participation rate in Fukuoka Prefecture is lower than the national average, and limited screening opportunities, especially in areas where access to medical institutions is difficult, contribute to the widening health disparities.

To address these challenges through regional cooperation, the three municipalities of Yukuhashi City, Soeda Town, and Akamura in Fukuoka Prefecture, along with H.U. Group Central Research Laboratory, LLC (Executive Officer: Tatsutoshi Inuzuka) and ICI Inc. (President and CEO: Ryohei Nishimoto), have signed a cooperation agreement*1 for the implementation of this Project. The Project will verify the effectiveness of an initiative that comprehensively provides a series of processes from prevention to encouragement of examination over two years, from fiscal year 2026 to fiscal year 2027, utilizing urine DPD testing*2 (mail-in type) that can be completed at home. In this Project, H.U. POCkeT, commissioned by H.U. Group Central Research Laboratory, will handle the shipping of "Osteoporosis Risk Test" kits, encourage sample return, and conduct urine DPD tests. IISHINBAN will provide health information to residents through its PHR system.

Our company will continue to address social issues in healthcare and promote new businesses, thereby contributing to people's health and the future of medicine by creating new value in healthcare.

*1 Cooperation agreement for the implementation of the "Effectiveness Verification Project for Osteoporosis Prevention Using Mail-in Testing"

*2 A test that measures deoxypyridinoline (DPD) in urine to assess the state of bone resorption (the process of breaking down old bone). Bone resorption markers capture information on "bone turnover," which differs from bone density that reflects bone mass. Therefore, they are expected to complement traditional evaluations centered on bone density measurements and help identify individuals at risk who might otherwise be overlooked.

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