Case Studies

Shionogi Healthcare

Two pharmaceutical products with Accessible Code on Japanese packages, and a smartphone screen that shows the text-to-speech playback and English product information.

Shionogi Healthcare Co., Ltd. is a sub-company within Shionogi Group, one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in Japan. They have continuously explored different ways to make pharmaceutical packaging that accommodates the needs of individuals with disabilities. In 2020, Shionogi Healthcare was the first manufacturer to adopt Accessible Code. We worked with them to ensure that essential information like ingredient lists, dosage and instructions, and safety precautions all came across in easy-to-understand audio data for visually impaired people. This included the content creation and translation of each code, visual and audio quality checks, and product testing. Shionogi Healthcare currently uses Accessible Code in 7 languages for over 40 products, including Sedes analgesic agents, Pylon PL cold medicines, Rinderon ointment, Medicon cough medicine, and Cinal skincare products.

Two hands hold a Japanese paper package that has Accessible Code located inside an indented square at the bottom right corner.

Shionogi Healthcare values Accessible Code’s post-sales analytics, which allows them to see data like what region and language their products’ QR codes are accessed in. It provided them with valuable information on overseas consumer trends over the course of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

A yellow Japanese package called “Cinal” is turned diagonally to show the front and left side of the package. A QR code is located on the left side.

A Japanese pharmaceutical product for medicine that comes in a tube has Accessible Code displayed on the front bottom right corner of a package.

A Japanese pharmaceutical product in a red and white package and the English letters “P L” has Accessible Code displayed on the front bottom right corner.

A red Japanese pharmaceutical package displays white pills, the English letters “P L” and the word “Pro.” There is Accessible Code displayed on the front bottom right corner.

A Japanese pharmaceutical product in a green package displays white pills and the English word “Pro” in the name. It has Accessible Code displayed on the front bottom right corner.

A Japanese pharmaceutical product that comes in a tub with a pink lid has Accessible Code displayed on the bottom right corner of the package.

ROHTO Pharmaceutical

A package of stomach medicine in a green package has its Accessible Code displayed on the front bottom left corner.

ROHTO Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. is a Japanese pharmaceutical manufacturer that was founded in 1899, and in 1988, it acquired the rights to a company in the United States, Mentholatum Company, Inc. ROHTO Pharmaceutical is one of the largest producers of over-the-counter (OTC) medications in Japan, and has a network that spans over 110 countries. The company's flagship products include gastrointestinal medicine, eye drops, and skincare products.

A close look at the Accessible Code on the bottom left corner of a green package of stomach medicine shows that the code is located inside of an indented square.

Starting in late 2023, ROHTO Pharmaceutical implemented Accessible Code on its Pansiron series of gastrointestinal medicine. As part of their efforts to deliver instructions on dosage and administration to consumers with different languages and various disabilities, they plan to continue to expand the use of Accessible Code on their products. This way, they can convey information to a wide range of consumers within the physically restricted space of product packaging.

In a person’s left hand, there is a pharmaceutical product in a green box. In their right hand, there is a smartphone displaying the green package and English information that reads, “Rapid relief of heartburn and nausea due to acid reflux.”

A green package of stomach medicine that comes in pill form has Accessible Code displayed on the front bottom left corner.

A package of stomach medicine in a green package has Accessible Code displayed on the front bottom left corner.

A Japanese pharmaceutical product in a portrait-oriented green, white, and pink package has an illustration of a yellow stomach and Accessible Code on the front bottom right corner.

A Japanese pharmaceutical product in a landscape-oriented green, white, and pink package has an illustration of a yellow stomach, the number 14, and Accessible Code on the front bottom right corner.

A Japanese pharmaceutical product in a landscape-oriented green, white, and pink package has an illustration of a yellow stomach, the number 34, and Accessible Code on the front bottom right corner.

Other projects are currently in development and will be added to our case studies in the near future.

How the Project Started

A bar chart shows the results of a survey of blind people about their use of information and communications technology in 2013 and 2017. There was an increase in the use of smartphones and tablets, but a decrease in the use of regular mobile phones.

In August 2016, PIJIN (an affiliate company of Export Japan) received an inquiry from Kobe Light House, an organization that helps visually impaired people become more independent:

They wanted to know if QR Translator, PIJIN’s multilingual QR code-based communication technology with a text-to-speech function, could help visually impaired people (VIP) obtain information from printed materials.

We were excited at the prospect of improving the quality of life for VIP. Our partnership with Kobe Light House began shortly after that, and we began conducting research about the needs of VIP and how we might help.

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Pricing

The cost of Accessible Code depends on the number of codes you’ll use and what tasks you’d like to leave to us. See the Pricing page to learn more.

Pricing