August 8, 2022
PHC Corporation
2-38-5 Nishishimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8433, Japan
JCR Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd.
3-19 Kasuga-cho, Ashiya, Hyogo 659-0021, Japan
(TSE 4552)
Tokyo and Hyogo, August 8, 2022 - The In Vitro Diagnostics Division of PHC Corporation (headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President: Kyoji Morimoto, hereafter PHC IVD), a provider of medical and diagnostic devices, and JCR Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. (headquarters: Ashiya, Hyogo, Chairman and President: Shin Ashida, hereafter JCR) announce new features and expanded availability of Melon Nikki™*1, a dedicated smartphone app for growth hormone therapy medication management that is used with the motorized growth hormone delivery device GROWJECTOR® L*2. The renewed app will now be available on Google Play and App Store*3 from August 2022.
GROWJECTOR® L, manufactured and sold by PHC IVD, and is used exclusively to administer subcutaneous injections of the recombinant human growth hormone GROWJECT® (6mg and 12 mg*4), which has been manufactured and sold by JCR since 2017. Melon Nikki™, co-developed by PHC IVD and JCR, was first launched in October 2020 to support medication adherence when paired with the injector. The dosing history recorded by the GROWJECTOR® L can be seamlessly sent via Wi-Fi to a smartphone with the app, allowing easier access to detailed dosing history. Furthermore, Melon Nikki™ can record the injected area, generate growth curve graphs with a patient’s height and weight data, and send the PDF data to a PC by e-mail. Also, it is equipped with “fun features*5” designed to reduce a patient’s injection anxiety and improve their positive attitude toward injections.
Melon Nikki™ was provided to a clinical study*6, initiated in February 2019, which focused on the improvement of poor medication adherence. Based on the insights gained from these clinical studies on the state of treatment and the needs in the market, the two companies promptly proceeded with development study and are now ready to release an upgraded product that is iPhone-compatible and supports Bluetooth®-connectivity, aiming to improve accessibility for patients and healthcare professionals.
With this product upgrade, iPhone users will also be able to download Melon Nikki™ in addition to Android smartphone users, and the new Bluetooth feature is expected to reduce the workload in data sharing. Moreover, the new app will help improve the patients’ quality of life as it creates a new standard for growth hormone therapy contributing to the advancement of personalized medicine and revolutionizes the diagnosis/treatment for patients and healthcare professionals as promotion of IoT in healthcare is anticipated in the industry. With the update of the function of Melon Nikki™, the function of GROWJECTOR® L has also been updated. The updated contents of each main specification are as follows.
[Melon Nikki™]
- Melon Nikki™ is now available on the App Store for iPhone users, in addition to Google Play for Android users.
- The app now allows parents, relatives, and healthcare professionals to connect to a patient as “friends” and share information and messages on treatment remotely.
- The app now includes enhanced features to ease patient’s injection anxiety, such as an avatar that grows with the patient and additional “fun items” using the avatar such as pets, trips, and events.
[GROWJECTOR® L(*7)]
- GROWJECTOR® L now has Bluetooth connectivity, making it easier to use and available for iPhones users in addition to Android users.
- Software and hardware improvement based on market demand.
Melon Nikki™ Website: jcrgh.com/melonnikki/top.html
Application and GROWJECTOR® L Usage
Hiroyuki Tokunaga, Board Member and Director of the In Vitro Diagnostics Business Unit of PHC Corporation, said, “Since we began developing blood glucose monitoring systems in 1991, we have developed, manufactured, and sold easy-to-use and highly accurate testing and analysis equipment to support a range of patient needs. The GROWJECTOR® L has been well-received by our customers since its launch in 2017, and we expect that the enhanced functionality of the product and the Melon Nikki™ app will further reduce the strain associated with injections for patients and their families and improve the connection needed for monitoring between healthcare professional and families, leading to more effective medication treatment. As we integrate our expertise in precision engineering with digital technology, we will contribute to higher quality medical care by providing healthcare solutions that help improve the quality of life for patients and respond to pressing diagnosis and treatment issues.”
Toru Ashida, Vice President and in charge of Corporate Strategy of JCR said, “Since launching the motorized growth hormone delivery device GROWJECTOR® in 2006, we have carried out activities to provide product information as well as conducted research and development to meet the needs of patients undergoing treatment with recombinant human growth hormone GROWJECT®. We believe that Melon Nikki™, released in 2020, has contributed to supporting self injections in growth hormone therapy and connecting healthcare professionals with patient’s information. It has become a good example of healthcare digital transformation in this age of IoT by making growth hormone therapy more effective. We expect that the upgraded Melon Nikki™, which is available to iPhone users and has added new functions, will contribute to even more patients and provide new value to meet their needs for self injection therapy. We will continue to provide a wide range of options for the treatment of growth disorders and to contribute to the development of pediatric care.”
* Melon Nikki, GROWJECT, and GROWJECTOR L are registered trademarks or trademarks of JCR Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd.
- Google Play and Android are trademarks of Google LLC.
- App Store and iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc.
- The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc., and any use of such marks by PHC Corporation is under license.
- iOS is a trademark or registered trademark of Cisco in the U.S. and other countries and is used under license.
*1 Melon Nikki™ is compatible with Android OS and iOS devices and enables the transfer and storage of dosing history data in GROWJECTOR® L via Bluetooth connection or NFC. It does not include functions classified as medical devices.
*2 Official generic term: Drug/vaccine injector, authentication number 228AABZX00109000
*3 It is a service operated by Apple to download digital content (applications, movies, music, books, etc.) for iOS devices. Melon Nikki™ will be available for free download.
*4 Approved indications of GROWJECT® 6mg/GROWJECT®12 mg
- Growth Hormone Deficiency
- Turner Syndrome
- Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency
- Small for Gestational Age
Please visit JCR website for further information: jcrgh.com/index.html
*5 This function allows the avatar (alter ego character) to grow on the application as the affected child grows, replace clothes, pets and other parts of their avatar and communicate with other affected children through their avatar about their daily treatment.
*6 Urakami T. Clin Pediatr Endocrinol 2021;30(2):85-92
*7 GROWJECTOR® L is renewed from the NFC-compatible product (No. APG-4000) to the Bluetooth connectivity-compatible product (No. APG-4000-BT).
About In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) Division, PHC Corporation
Established in 1969, PHC Corporation is a Japanese subsidiary of PHC Holdings Corporation (The Prime Market of TSE, code: 6523), a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures, sells and services solutions across diabetes management, healthcare solutions, life sciences and diagnostics. With the mission to contribute to the health of society through healthcare solutions that have a positive impact and improve the lives of people, its IVD Division has worked to improve medical services for patients by contributing to early diagnosis and effective medical care for diseases such as diabetes and asthma through development, manufacturing, and distribution of testing and analyzing devices including blood glucose monitoring systems.
www.phchd.com/global/ivd
About JCR Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd
JCR is a specialty pharma company engaged in research, development, manufacturing, and marketing of biopharmaceuticals and regenerative medicine with a focus on rare diseases. Its philosophy, “Contributing towards people’s healthcare through pharmaceutical products” drives JCR to create innovative pharmaceutical products as value-added treatment options for the under-served patient populations.
www.jcrpharm.co.jp/en/site/en/index.html
Media contact
In Vitro Diagnostics Division of PHC Corporation
+81-70-1449-9486 / +81-70-1226-3325
E-mail：ivd-communications@gg.phchd.com
JCR Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd.
Email: ir-inrfo@jcrpharma.co.jp