PHC IVD and JCR Announce Upgrade of Melon Nikki Medication Management App for Pediatric Patients Undergoing Growth Hormone Therapy

October 2, 2023

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)


PHC IVD and JCR Announce Upgrade of Melon NikkiTM,
Medication Management App for Pediatric Patients
Undergoing Growth Hormone Therapy

Tokyo and Hyogo, October 2, 2023 - The In Vitro Diagnostics Division of PHC Corporation
(headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President: Nobuaki Nakamura, hereafter PHC IVD) and
JCR Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. (headquarters: Ashiya, Hyogo, Chairman, President and
CEO: Shin Ashida, hereafter JCR) announce new functionality features for Melon NikkiTM*1,
a dedicated smartphone app for growth hormone therapy medication management for use
with motorized digital injectors GROWJECTOR® Duo*2 and GROWJECTOR® L*3. The
updated app is available only in Japan on the Apple App Store and Google Play beginning
on October 1, 2023.


GROWJECTOR® Duo and GROWJECTOR® L are motorized digital injectors that are
designed to help improve medication adherence among pediatric patients using injectable
growth hormone therapy in Japan. The devices are manufactured by PHC IVD, to be used
exclusively for the recombinant human growth hormone GROWJECT® subcutaneous 6mg
and 12mg*4 treatment which is manufactured and sold by JCR.


The Melon NikkiTM smartphone app, jointly developed by PHC IVD and JCR, was first
launched in October 2020. The app can be used to check the dosing history recorded by
products in the GROWJECTOR® injector series via wireless communication. The app can
record information including the injection site of the body, generate growth curve graphs
based on patient height and weight data, and email the data as a PDF file. Furthermore,
Melon NikkiTM supports young patients and their caregivers through a feature*5 that creates
digital avatars to help ease anxiety over injections and encourage proactive treatment.


When used together with GROWJECTOR® injectors, the Melon NikkiTM app is designed to
support long-term treatment and improve medication adherence by addressing lifestyle
needs of pediatric patients of different ages.
─ Updated Features of Melon NikkiTM ─
・ Compatible with the new GROWJECTOR® Duo launched in September 2023.
・ A simple screen mode designed for older pediatric patients, in addition to the original
screen mode designed for younger children.
・ Syringe replacement history in the dosing records calendar.
・ Increased number of registerable accounts from 30 to 50, enabling healthcare providers
to look after more patients' records.
・ Upgraded avatar features, including 20 new avatar items like pets and vehicles, and
options to view collected items and archive avatars to help users visualize their continued
treatment.




Melon NikkiTM Website: jcrgh.com/melonnikki/top.html
 Supporting self-injection with the GROWJECTOR® series via Melon NikkiTM


Hiroyuki Tokunaga, Board Member of PHC Corporation and Director of PHC IVD, said, “We
aim to provide solutions that help patients visualize and manage their health information, at
hospitals, in clinics, and from home, using precision manufacturing and digital technology.
We designed the updated Melon NikkiTM app to support effective patient care. We are
committed to offering best-in-class healthcare solutions that help improve patients' quality of
life.”


Toru Ashida, Senior Vice President and Executive Director of the Sales Division at JCR, said,
“We are dedicated to engaging in research and development to meet the needs of patients
undergoing human growth hormone treatment using the GROWJECTOR® series and Melon
NikkiTM. We are excited for this app update to improve the treatment experience for patients
and healthcare providers. We are also looking forward to this app contributing to further
possibilities in the digital transformation of healthcare. Our continuous focus is on offering a
wide range of treatment options for growth disorders and contributing to pediatric medicine."
* GROWJECT, GROWJECTOR, and Melon Nikki are registered trademarks or trademarks of JCR
Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd.
- App Store is a trademark of Apple Inc.
- Google Play and Android are trademarks of Google LLC.
- 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 Systems, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries.
Any use of such trademark is 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® Duo via Bluetooth® connection and GROWJECTOR® L via
Bluetooth® connection or NFC. It does not include functions classified as medical devices.
*2 Japanese Medical Device Nomenclature: Reusable medication/vaccine injector, Marketing certificate
number: 305AABZX00019000
ssl4.eir-parts.net/doc/4552/tdnet/2333866/00.pdf
www.phchd.com/global/phc/news/2023/0829
*3 Japanese Medical Device Nomenclature: Reusable medication/vaccine injector, Marketing certificate
number: 228AABZX00109000
*4 Approved indications of GROWJECT® 6 mg/GROWJECT® 12 mg
- Short stature in Growth Hormone Deficiency without epiphyseal closure
- Short stature in Turner Syndrome without epiphyseal closure
- Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency (limited to severe cases)
- Short stature due to Small-for-gestational age (SGA) without epiphyseal closure
- Short stature due to SHOX abnormality without epiphyseal closure
Please visit JCR website for further information: jcrgh.com/index.html
*5 This function allows avatars (a character that serves as a pediatric patient's alter ego) to grow on the
application as the patient grows. The users can replace parts such as clothes and pets and communicate
with other affected children via the avatar about daily treatment.




About In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) Division, PHC Corporation
Established in 1969, PHC Corporation is a Japanese subsidiary of PHC Holdings Corporation
(TSE 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, the 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



For product enquiries:
In Vitro Diagnostics Division of PHC Corporation
Phone: +81-70-1449-9486 / +81-70-1226-3325
E-mail：ivd-communications@gg.phchd.com


For IR and media enquiries:
Investor Relations & Corporate Communications Department
PHC Holdings Corporation
+81-3-6778-5311
E-mail：phc_pr@gg.phchd.com


IR/PR Office, Administration Division, JCR Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd.
Phone: +81-797-32-1995
Email：ir-info@jp.jcrpharm.com