'Ehime RWD Initiative' Evolves into Community-Based Model: Municipal Participation Advances Healthcare-Government Data Platform
Seiyo City and Kihoku Town have become the first municipalities to join the 'Ehime Real World Data (RWD) Initiative' led by Ehime University and Roche Diagnostics. This integration of clinical and administrative data evolves the platform into a community-based infrastructure.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 27, 2026 at 22:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 27, 2026 at 13:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 28, 2026 at 02:59 (13h 28m after Collected)
National University Corporation Ehime University (Matsuyama City, Ehime; hereinafter 'Ehime University') and Roche Diagnostics K.K. (Minato-ku, Tokyo; hereinafter 'Roche') announced that Seiyo City and Kihoku Town are the first municipalities in Ehime Prefecture to participate in the 'Ehime Real World Data (RWD) Initiative.' The realization of data linkage held by local governments will evolve the platform into a community-based model. The total number of participating organizations has reached 22, making Ehime Prefecture the leader in Japan in the number of medical information handlers cooperating with the Next Generation Medical Infrastructure Act*¹.
The 'Ehime RWD Initiative' aims to contribute to health promotion in Ehime Prefecture by building and promoting the use of the 'Ehime RWD Platform,' which integrates diverse medical information collected from medical institutions, local governments, and health checkup organizations in the prefecture. The 'Healthcare Data Science Course,' a joint industry-academia program by Ehime University and Roche, serves as the center of operations, collaborating with certified anonymized medical information entities*⁴ based on the Next Generation Medical Infrastructure Act.
With Seiyo City and Kihoku Town's participation, administrative data (national health insurance data, health checkups, receipts, etc.) will be integrated alongside clinical data from medical institutions. This evolution into a community-based data foundation is expected to significantly expand the possibilities for clinical research. The number of participating organizations has expanded to 22 (2 municipalities, 20 medical institutions), maintaining Ehime Prefecture's position as the highest in Japan*⁵.
Ehime University and Roche will continue to generate real-world evidence (RWE) through this initiative and advance the social implementation of digital solutions contributing to disease management, striving for the development of regional healthcare and the extension of healthy life expectancy for Ehime residents.
[About the Ehime RWD Initiative]
This initiative, promoted by Ehime University and Roche Diagnostics K.K., integrates and analyzes diverse medical information to generate RWE, contributing significantly to health promotion and digital solution implementation for Ehime residents.
The Healthcare Data Science Course (https://hds.m.ehime-u.ac.jp/), established in February 2024 at the Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, manages operations. Certified entities perform the collection, anonymization, and provision of data to the 'Ehime RWD Platform' under the Next Generation Medical Infrastructure Act.
Examples of Initiatives:
- Establishment of new clinical methods and exploration of disease risks.
- Use as historical control groups in clinical trials.
- Support for municipal healthcare policy and management planning.
- Integration with non-medical data to explore new research fields.
*¹. Next Generation Medical Infrastructure Act: Enacted in May 2018 to promote advanced R&D and new industries in healthcare through anonymized medical information.
*². Medical Information Handlers: Institutions like hospitals and municipalities that cooperate with state policies by providing information.
*³. Based on information from the Cabinet Office as of April 2026.
*⁴. Certified Entities: Organizations certified by the state to perform anonymization under the Act.
*⁵. As of July 1, 2025, the initiative covers over 45% of general hospital beds in the prefecture.
The 'Ehime RWD Initiative' aims to contribute to health promotion in Ehime Prefecture by building and promoting the use of the 'Ehime RWD Platform,' which integrates diverse medical information collected from medical institutions, local governments, and health checkup organizations in the prefecture. The 'Healthcare Data Science Course,' a joint industry-academia program by Ehime University and Roche, serves as the center of operations, collaborating with certified anonymized medical information entities*⁴ based on the Next Generation Medical Infrastructure Act.
With Seiyo City and Kihoku Town's participation, administrative data (national health insurance data, health checkups, receipts, etc.) will be integrated alongside clinical data from medical institutions. This evolution into a community-based data foundation is expected to significantly expand the possibilities for clinical research. The number of participating organizations has expanded to 22 (2 municipalities, 20 medical institutions), maintaining Ehime Prefecture's position as the highest in Japan*⁵.
Ehime University and Roche will continue to generate real-world evidence (RWE) through this initiative and advance the social implementation of digital solutions contributing to disease management, striving for the development of regional healthcare and the extension of healthy life expectancy for Ehime residents.
[About the Ehime RWD Initiative]
This initiative, promoted by Ehime University and Roche Diagnostics K.K., integrates and analyzes diverse medical information to generate RWE, contributing significantly to health promotion and digital solution implementation for Ehime residents.
The Healthcare Data Science Course (https://hds.m.ehime-u.ac.jp/), established in February 2024 at the Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, manages operations. Certified entities perform the collection, anonymization, and provision of data to the 'Ehime RWD Platform' under the Next Generation Medical Infrastructure Act.
Examples of Initiatives:
- Establishment of new clinical methods and exploration of disease risks.
- Use as historical control groups in clinical trials.
- Support for municipal healthcare policy and management planning.
- Integration with non-medical data to explore new research fields.
*¹. Next Generation Medical Infrastructure Act: Enacted in May 2018 to promote advanced R&D and new industries in healthcare through anonymized medical information.
*². Medical Information Handlers: Institutions like hospitals and municipalities that cooperate with state policies by providing information.
*³. Based on information from the Cabinet Office as of April 2026.
*⁴. Certified Entities: Organizations certified by the state to perform anonymization under the Act.
*⁵. As of July 1, 2025, the initiative covers over 45% of general hospital beds in the prefecture.