- Advance application acceptance starting today, service scheduled to launch on September 1 -
TOKYO, August 24, 2020 - Astellas Pharma Inc. (Tokyo, President and CEO: Kenji Yasukawa, Ph.D., “Astellas”) announced today that it will start accepting advance applications and taking reservations for its exercise support service Fit-eNce®1, which encourages continous implementation of science-based exercise programs2. The service is planned to be offered in limited areas from September 1 through fitness clubs in Kanagawa Prefecture.
Exercise therapy is reported to be beneficial as a treatment for various diseases including type 2 diabetes. However, it is often difficult for physicians to offer specific guidance on exercise therapy or to be aware of all of the exercises that a patient performs. Meanwhile, it is difficult for patients to know which exercise programs are appropriate and to maintain the motivation to exercise, which brings challengeｓ in starting and continuing exercise. Fit-eNce® is a new exericse support service designed to resolve these issues by helping patients to continuously implement science-based exercise programs under the guidance of physicians.
With this service, patients who have been referred to the service by a physician submit an application to enroll in the service through a dedicated smartphone app and receive physician approval for use of the service. Patients then register with the affiliated fitness club to begin exercising. At the fitness club, trainers will suggest a lineup of exercises tailored to the patient’s physical condition (age, muscular strength, physical strength, etc.) , on the basis of science-based exercise programs that combine aerobic exercise with resistance exercise (repetitive exercises that exert resistance on target muscles) for the patient to perform. Patients will be able to share their exercise records with their physician through the smartphone app, and physicians will be able to check their patients’ frequency of fitness club use, exercise history, and goal achievement on a dedicated website. By using this website to check on their patients’ daily exercise status and enhancing communication, it allows the physicians to support patients in contuining to exercise.
Fit-eNce® is created with aims to generate and provide evidence-based healthcare solutions through the integration of medicine and exercise as a part of Astellas’ Rx+® Business3. Astellas will continue to strive towards the realization of a society where appropriate exercise is practiced and people can live true to themselves, healthy in both mind and body.
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