Most of our R&D takes place in four sectors: medicinal herbs, established kampo preparations, new kampo preparations and new chemical pharmaceuticals. Research on medicinal herbs at Tsumura dates from the establishment of our first laboratory in 1924. That research has supported continuing advances in the quality and efficacy of our kampo products. Today, Tsumura researchers conduct leading- edge work in tissue culturing, plant genomics and other disciplines to maximize the quality of kampo preparations. Tissue culturing includes work aimed at shortening cultivation times and increasing yields of herbs that are rich in active ingredients. Our work in genomics includes developing reliable methods for identifying herbs accurately. In work on established kampo preparations, our researchers continue to augment the pool of data about the efficacy and safety of the preparations. They study the pharmacology of kampo preparations, active ingredients, quality and formulation at our research laboratory, and they cooperate with university hospitals and other medical facilities to obtain clinical data. We also continue studying medicinal herbs individually and in combination with an eye to developing new kampo preparations. And we work on developing chemical pharmaceuticals while maximizing efficiency by focusing on renal, immunological and allergenic problems. Kampo Preparations A quarter-century has passed since the Japanese government extended coverage to kampo preparations under the national health insurance program. We at Tsumura continue working to extend the benefits of established kampo preparations to a broader range of patients and to develop new preparations. Our efforts have yielded steady advances.