We are investing in a development venture that will provide new solutions for infertility treatment, and are taking on a new business in the healthcare field.

Background and purpose of the contract

Driven by a desire to protect the precious health of mothers, our company was quick to recognize the need for general-purpose pregnancy tests and began selling Japan's first over-the-counter pregnancy tests in 1992. Since then, we have continued to promote initiatives that support consumers throughout their journeys of conception, pregnancy, and childbirth through activities such as the development and sale of the "do test" brand of ovulation and pregnancy tests, and the publication of the latest awareness survey, "Fertility White Paper," aimed at spreading knowledge and understanding about fertility treatment.
Within this context, as part of our support for entrepreneurs within the company project "Asuniwa project *", the "Kounotori Project" was launched, aiming to commercialize the application of our Regenerative medicine technology to the field of infertility treatment. We have been conducting research and development that will contribute to next-generation infertility treatment. Currently, this project has been taken over as an internal business, which has led to this investment in BAIBYS.

BAIBYS, founded in Israel in January 2020, is a startup developing a fully automated sperm selection system that will be a new solution for infertility treatment. By clinically analyzing sperm morphology and motility in real time and automatically selecting the most suitable sperm with normal morphology and high motility, it is expected to increase the success rate of in vitro fertilization (ICSI). Furthermore, the traditional manual process of embryologists selecting sperm directly affects the future development of the embryo and the success of pregnancy, requiring advanced skills and careful judgment, and is said to be psychologically stressful. This system is also expected to reduce the psychological burden felt by embryologists. The company is conducting validation trials on the effectiveness and safety of the system under development at infertility clinics in Europe and the United States, and sales are expected to begin after the completion of these trials.

In addition to the self-care-centered fertility support we have been promoting so far, this investment in BAIBYS will accelerate our efforts in the field of infertility treatment.

* Asuniwa project: support for entrepreneurs within the company project that started in April 2020.
We support employees who aim to start their own businesses based on their individual aspirations and ideas, in response to social issues.

BAIBYS Fertility Ltd. Company Information

BAIBYS is a startup that is revolutionizing infertility treatment. Its corporate vision is to reduce the number of infertility treatments required to achieve pregnancy, prevent unnecessary hormone therapy for women, and alleviate the burden on patients undergoing infertility treatment. The company is developing systems that utilize AI and robotics technology.

Future outlook

The impact of this matter on our consolidated financial results for the fiscal year ending March 2025 is expected to be minor, and we will promptly inform you of any further matters that need to be disclosed.