Using Drones for the Stable Delivery of Pharmaceuticals
TS Alfresa Corporation concludes an agreement with Japan Drone Organization and Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, to cooperate in disaster relief activities using unmanned aircrafts

The Hiroshima Drone Use Promotion Conference

“The Sanyo area, one of our business areas, is located between the Chugoku Mountains and the Seto Inland Sea. TS Alfresa has always been aware of the challenges of pharmaceutical logistics in mountainous areas and remote islands. When we attended a pharmaceutical seminar in February 2023, we heard about the efforts of the Japanese Cabinet Secretariat's Small Unmanned Aircraft Measures Promotion Office and realized the potential of drones. That same day, I decided to introduce drones and conveyed this idea to my superiors,” Matsumura recalls. Members were gathered from different professions, under the conviction that “in order to take new action, it is important that members with specialized knowledge and skills in different fields work together to produce results.” In February 2024, one year after Matsumura made up his mind, he established the Hiroshima Drone Promotion Usage Council^*1 in collaboration with JDO, which offers nationally certified drone training programs across Japan, with the encouragement of TS Alfresa President Takuji Takahashi.

*1 Reference: “Notice regarding the Establishment of the “Hiroshima Drone Usage Promotion Council” announced on February 14, 2024

Welcoming Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, as an observer, the council started operations with the purpose of providing a forum for more companies and people to learn about the environment and current conditions surrounding drones. It is also a forum to discuss and deepen their knowledge of the many possible uses and applications of drones, including drone delivery of pharmaceuticals.

In February 2024, TS Alfresa and JDO conducted a demonstration experiment to ensure quality and safety in the delivery of pharmaceuticals and other products using drones to mountainous areas and remote islands within Hatsukaichi City, toward the social implementation of the drone-based delivery of pharmaceuticals and other products. Specifically, we examined the feasibility of delivering supplies in the event of a disaster using a drone to ensure quality and safety. Such supplies include medicines essential to patients' daily lives, thickening agents to be mixed with water or meals to prevent aspiration, medical equipment such as ostomy appliance necessary for patients with artificial anus or bladder, and blood samples. We then verified whether it was possible to deliver with quality and safety. The verification results have been shared with council participants and will continue to be shared in future demonstration experiments.

Shiho Hashinaka, Solution Project Planning Department

"Before I got involved in this project, whenever I heard the word 'drone' I thought of it as something from a distant future dream. But the more I learned about drones, the more I felt their depth and potential, and I thought, 'Maybe we can do something like this,’” says Hashinaka, the team's spiritual pillar, as she talks about her feelings toward the project. She is also in charge of the council’s secretariat and is involved in all aspects of the council's work, from its inception to negotiations with external parties. She has earned the trust of the members with her precise decision-making and execution. "Drones are already being used in a wide range of applications, from transporting goods to spraying pesticides on fields, inspecting buildings, and providing medical care to children with disabilities. We are always looking for ways of introducing drones to our business, such as monitoring dementia patients and preventing disasters and crime.” she says, as she continues to explore the use of drones in her work.

Shota Ogura, Customer Support Promotion Department

Ogura’s daily work in the Customer Support Promotion Department involves disseminating medical-related information, such as medical fees and medical administration, both internally and externally. He says, “Since participating in this project, I have become more and more interested in using drones for the stable delivery of pharmaceuticals, in both disaster and normal circumstances. To achieve this, we need to further expand the scope of drone operation, such as by realizing out-of-sight flight. We aim to establish a system that enables to operate Level 3.5 flight^*2 by having type-certified aircrafts^*3 capable of Level 3.5 flight and qualified pilots for this. In this way, we can realize drone delivery in the Chugoku region with its many mountainous areas and remote islands. I felt that this embodies the very message of President Takahashi, who said, ‘By meeting the needs of the medical field, we will contribute to the overall support of local medical care and support people's healthy lives.’” While performing maintenance on a drone prior to the demonstration flight, he spoke passionately about his thoughts: “I decided to be proactive in the spirit of just trying it out. Through the council, I am now involved in preparing an operations manual for transporting supplies by drone in the event of a disaster in Hiroshima Prefecture. The feeling of being able to help the local community is very rewarding.”

*2 Level 3.5 flight: Level 3.5 flight allows for the foregoing of entry control measures required for Level 3 flight and facilitates the crossing of roads, railroads, etc., on the condition that digital technology (an onboard camera), an unmanned aircraft operator with proficient certification, and an insurance contract are in place.

*3 Type-certified aircraft: An unmanned aircraft that has been certified by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism under the Civil Aeronautics Act to ensure safety and uniformity by inspecting whether the design and manufacturing process for strength, structure and performance of unmanned aircraft of a type intended to contribute to specified flights comply with safety and uniformity standards.

Rikuto Gono, Customer Support Promotion Department

“As a sales representative for customer support systems, I am involved in system setup and customer training, so I am able to use the IT skills I have developed in my daily work to set up drone flights” says Gono, with a confident look on his face. Although he is the youngest member, he holds the position of chairperson of the council. With his naturally calm personality and level-headed judgment, he took command of the drone demonstration flight that took place after the conclusion ceremony. “As automated drone flights through programming become the norm, I will continue to work hard every day to adapt to it," he says of the future.

Establishing a System for Level 3.5 Flight with Type-certified Aircrafts and Qualified Pilots

One of the drones used in this initiative is E6150TC, a Japanese drone manufactured by EAMS Robotics Co., Ltd., which is a Type II logistics aircraft with a design and manufacturing process in compliance with safety and uniformity standards and is certified in accordance with Japan’s Civil Aeronautics Act. It was purchased by JDO and is stored at TS Alfresa.

Type II certified aircrafts that meet national safety standards can be flown in densely populated areas that require permission and approval from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism without application, provided that the aircraft is operated by a person with an Unmanned Aircraft Pilot Certificate and that entry control measures have been taken. Furthermore, there are four qualified operators in Japan (as of January 2025) who have participated in the E6150TC pilot training course, one of whom belongs with our company and the other with JDO.

By having a type-certified aircraft capable of Level 3.5 flight operations and a qualified pilot, we have developed a system that can respond quickly in both disaster and normal times.

Significance of Conclusion of the Agreement

Looking back on the process, Matsumura recalls, “We were able to conclude the agreement thanks to the support and cooperation of Hatsukaichi City Mayor Taro Matsumoto, JDO Representative Director & President Dai Sata, as well as President Takahashi and everyone at TS Alfresa. I am keenly aware that I could not have done it alone. I am truly grateful to President Takahashi, who told me, ‘You can work with freedom,’ and to my colleagues who work hard despite having their regular duties, and who are willing to exchange ideas and think together if there is even the slightest possibility of success.”

Using Drones to Solve Social Issues of Local Communities

Matsumura further talks about his outlook for the future: “We will cooperate with and advise Hatsukaichi City in dispatching qualified pilots and in drone-based training, if requested. Furthermore, in the event of a disaster, we will do our utmost to collect and provide information and cooperate in the delivery of supplies to isolated areas for the benefit of the local community. Through these efforts, we will accumulate knowledge and expertise and use them to solve social issues such as labor shortages due to declining and aging populations, and maintaining logistics networks in depopulated areas and other regions. The environment continues to change, so we would like to make even stronger preparations for the future."

When asked what has driven this project, Matsumura immediately replied, “When I was transferred to the Overseas Business Department of Alfresa Holdings, I was assigned to Vietnam, a country I had never been to before. And the experience of learning and moving forward from zero is something I use in my current activities.” After the conclusion ceremony, he said with a smile, “This project also started from zero, and proceeded in complete darkness while we often asked ourselves, 'Is this really the right answer?' In the end, the preparations I made with my team were not in vain. But we’re just beginning."