Takeda Selects New Partners for Global Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program to Strengthen Health Systems in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Rhea-AI Summary

Takeda has launched four new partnerships under its Global Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program, contributing a total of JPY 19.7 billion (approximately USD 140.7 million) since its inception in 2016. The new partners include Ipas, Plan International, Pure Earth, and UNFPA, focusing on improving healthcare for marginalized populations in various countries. Notably, funds will aid in enhancing sexual and reproductive health services, combatting gender-based violence, and addressing childhood lead poisoning across Ethiopia, Somalia, Colombia, and more.

Positive

• Total contributions to Global CSR Program reach JPY 19.7 billion (approx. USD 140.7 million) since 2016.
• New partnerships target urgent health issues worldwide, improving healthcare access for vulnerable populations.
• Programs funded will help approximately 83,000 beneficiaries, strengthening health systems across multiple countries.

Negative

• None.

• Since its Launch in 2016, New Partnerships Bring Total Global CSR Program Contributions to JPY 19.7 Billion (Approx. USD 140.7 million) Across 24 Programs in 79 Countries
• More Than 23,000 Takeda Employees Voted on New Partnerships Selecting Ipas, Plan International, Pure Earth and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
• Global CSR Program Partnerships Help Takeda Advance Disease Prevention, Empower the Health Workforce and Strengthen Health Systems Across the World

OSAKA, Japan--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Takeda (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK) today announced four new partnerships to its Global Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program, which makes long-term commitments to strengthen healthcare for people in developing and emerging countries. Even the best clinics and hospitals are unable to offer consistent, appropriate, quality care if people cannot access them; a strong health workforce, sustainable supply chains, appropriate resources, and much more are key to building accessible health systems. Takeda’s workforce is a critical part of the annual decision-making process as more than 23,000 employees voted to select Ipas, Plan International, Pure Earth and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) as the FY2022 Global CSR Program partners.

Since launching in 2016, Takeda’s Global CSR Program has committed a total of JPY 19.7 billion (Approx. USD 140.7 million) to 19 international and non-governmental organizations on 24 long-term programs that address more than 23 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Targets in 79 countries. Takeda’s commitments to these new partners in FY2022 include:

• JPY 999 million (Approx. USD 7.13 million) to Ipas to implement a four-year program to improve access to and use of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services for hard-to-reach women and girls in Ethiopia, Indonesia and Pakistan. By strengthening workforce capacity, health systems and community support mechanisms, this program will address lack of access to quality sexual and reproductive health care which can lead to unintended pregnancies, death and injuries from unsafe abortions, and other potential loss of educational and economic opportunities.
• JPY 497 million (Approx. USD 3.55 million) to Plan International to improve access to health services for marginalized populations, especially girls and women experiencing complications from Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), in Somalia. FGM has a significant impact on maternal and child mortality, especially in rural areas where there is a lack of trained community-based female personnel. Over the next four years, this program will strengthen health systems by operating mobile, essential inclusive age-gender-responsive health care services, as well as developing mobile/outreach clinic standards and clinical guidelines for FGM management.
• JPY 1 billion (Approx. USD 7.14 million) to Pure Earth to help protect children in Colombia, India, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan and Peru from lead poisoning. Today, 1 in 3 of the world’s children have enough lead in their blood to cause permanent brain damage, yet many countries lack systems and technical capacity to effectively address it. By strengthening countries’ health care systems and training health professionals to identify, monitor, treat and reduce childhood lead exposure, while educating parents, teachers and schoolchildren, this five-year program will enable these children to have better opportunity to reach their full potential.
• JPY 998 million (Approx. USD 7.13 million) to UNFPA to escalate the level and quality of case management support available for survivors of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Azerbaijan, El Salvador, Indonesia, Madagascar and Zimbabwe. The four-year program will strengthen social service systems in partnership with learning institutions, governments and civil society; capacity building, mentoring and monitoring will equip frontline GBV workers to provide skilled support for all women and girls including those most marginalized.

In addition to our FY22 Global CSR Program partners, a portion of the 2022 Global CSR Program has focused on supporting humanitarian efforts across the globe. Takeda is committing JPY 300 million (Approx. USD 2.14 million) to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to support the roll-out of the organization’s electronic Personal Health Record (e-PHR) tool for migrants displaced by conflict and crises. The tool will be deployed in Colombia, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, and Yemen and enables the recording of and access to medical history, diagnoses, and symptoms across borders, health systems, and languages. This digital solution aims to reach over 83,000 beneficiaries and will help enhance knowledge about migrants’ health needs and strengthen national and cross-border disease surveillance and increase response capacities by making health assessment records available in transit and destination countries.

“We are proud to partner with Ipas, Plan International, Pure Earth and UNPFA to directly respond to some of the most disenfranchised populations’ immediate needs by helping to create infrastructures and systems that effectively address root causes,” says Takako Ohyabu, Takeda’s chief global corporate affairs and sustainability officer. “These partnerships help reduce life-threatening emergency issues while transforming the daily lives of people and the planet. As a 240-year-old company, we know sustainable impact takes time and we take a long-term view. We also know some of the most enduring, innovative solutions are brought to life through partnerships. We embark on these efforts with our values at heart, enabling our employees to have a direct say in how we tackle these critical global health issues to ultimately help us better serve and empower these communities to be ready for the future.”

Each program supports health system strengthening in unique ways and aligns with countries’ national health needs. These four- to 10-year funding commitments reflect that there are no quick fixes to some of the most complex and longstanding challenges facing health systems in low- and middle-income countries.

This year’s partners shared:

• “Ipas is deeply honored to work with Takeda, which shares our commitment to a healthy and just world for all people, to expand access to quality, sustainable sexual and reproductive health care for women and girls in hard-to-reach places. This partnership will strengthen the capacity of health workers, health systems and communities in Ethiopia, Indonesia and Pakistan,” said Anu Kumar, president and CEO of Ipas.
• “Plan International's new 5-year partnership with Takeda in Somalia will not only strengthen rural health systems through developing mobile/outreach clinic standards and FGM management clinical guidelines, but also enable Somali girls and women to make decisions about their sexuality and bodies through awareness campaigns and training,” said Dr. Kiyoko Ikegami, chair of the board of Plan International Japan.
• “Pure Earth is honored to count Takeda as a partner. Together, we will equip five countries to evaluate and identify children currently suffering from lead poisoning, undetected and unseen, so that the healing can begin. This is a powerful example of how public-private partnerships can accelerate solutions. Takeda’s leadership on the childhood lead poisoning crisis is an impactful model to follow,” said Rich Fuller, CEO of Pure Earth.
• “Gender-based violence is one of the most prevalent human rights violations in the world, with an estimated 1 in 3 women experiencing physical or sexual abuse in their lifetime. It knows no social, economic or national boundaries. With support from Takeda, UNFPA will scale up its efforts to tackle the pandemic of violence against women and girls, providing specialized protection and response services in countries with some of the highest rates of gender-based violence. We are grateful for Takeda's partnership as we work together to end this global scourge once and for all,” said Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund.

Takeda’s Global CSR Program partnerships have made notable progress since it was initiated in 2016 having:

• Reached more than 10.5 million direct beneficiaries;
• Trained more than 60,000 qualified health professionals and community health workers;
• Provided more than 1 million community members with targeted health education including on nutrition, water, sanitation, hygiene and sexual and reproductive health;
• Immunized 4.2 million children against preventable diseases such as measles; and
• Our partners are on track to reach 22 million direct beneficiaries by 2027, providing lifesaving care for vulnerable women and newborns, training health workers, preventing disease, strengthening holistic support for refugees, and so much more.

About Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK) is a global, values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical leader headquartered in Japan, committed to discover and deliver life-transforming treatments, guided by our commitment to patients, our people and the planet. Takeda focuses its R&D efforts on four therapeutic areas: Oncology, Rare Genetics and Hematology, Neuroscience, and Gastroenterology (GI). We also make targeted R&D investments in Plasma-Derived Therapies and Vaccines. We are focusing on developing highly innovative medicines that contribute to making a difference in people’s lives by advancing the frontier of new treatment options and leveraging our enhanced collaborative R&D engine and capabilities to create a robust, modality-diverse pipeline. Our employees are committed to improving quality of life for patients and to working with our partners in health care in approximately 80 countries and regions. For more information, visit https://www.takeda.com.

Important Notice

For the purposes of this notice, “release” means this document, any oral presentation, any question and answer session and any written or oral material discussed or distributed by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (“Takeda”) regarding this release. This release (including any oral briefing and any question-and-answer in connection with it) is not intended to, and does not constitute, represent or form part of any offer, invitation or solicitation of any offer to purchase, otherwise acquire, subscribe for, exchange, sell or otherwise dispose of, any securities or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction. No shares or other securities are being offered to the public by means of this release. No offering of securities shall be made in the United States except pursuant to registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or an exemption therefrom. This release is being given (together with any further information which may be provided to the recipient) on the condition that it is for use by the recipient for information purposes only (and not for the evaluation of any investment, acquisition, disposal or any other transaction). Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of applicable securities laws. The companies in which Takeda directly and indirectly owns investments are separate entities. In this release, “Takeda” is sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Takeda and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words “we,” “us” and “our” are also used to refer to subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These expressions are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular company or companies.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release and any materials distributed in connection with this press release may contain forward-looking statements, beliefs or opinions regarding Takeda’s future business, future position and results of operations, including estimates, forecasts, targets and plans for Takeda. Without limitation, forward-looking statements often include words such as “targets,” “plans,” “believes,” “hopes,” “continues,” “expects,” “aims,” “intends,” “ensures,” “will,” “may,” “should,” “would,” “could” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “projects” or similar expressions or the negative thereof. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions about many important factors, including the following, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements: the economic circumstances surrounding Takeda’s global business, including general economic conditions in Japan and the United States; competitive pressures and developments; changes to applicable laws and regulations, including global health care reforms; challenges inherent in new product development, including uncertainty of clinical success and decisions of regulatory authorities and the timing thereof; uncertainty of commercial success for new and existing products; manufacturing difficulties or delays; fluctuations in interest and currency exchange rates; claims or concerns regarding the safety or efficacy of marketed products or product candidates; the impact of health crises, like the novel coronavirus pandemic, on Takeda and its customers and suppliers, including foreign governments in countries in which Takeda operates, or on other facets of its business; the timing and impact of post-merger integration efforts with acquired companies; the ability to divest assets that are not core to Takeda’s operations and the timing of any such divestment(s); and other factors identified in Takeda’s most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F and Takeda’s other reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, available on Takeda’s website at: https://www.takeda.com/investors/sec-filings/ or at www.sec.gov. Takeda does not undertake to update any of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release or any other forward-looking statements it may make, except as required by law or stock exchange rule. Past performance is not an indicator of future results and the results or statements of Takeda in this press release may not be indicative of, and are not an estimate, forecast, guarantee or projection of Takeda’s future results.

Exchange Rates

In this press release, certain amounts presented in Japanese yen have been translated to US dollars solely for the convenience of the reader. Except where otherwise noted, these convenience translations have been made at an exchange rate of 1USD = 140.03 JPY, the Noon Buying Rate certified by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on September 2, 2022. The rate and methodologies used for these convenience translations differ from the currency exchange rates and translation methodologies under International Financial Reporting Standards used for the preparation of Takeda’s consolidated financial statements. These translations should not be construed as a representation that the relevant Japanese yen amounts could be converted into U.S. dollars at this or any other rate.

Medical information

This press release contains information about products that may not be available in all countries, or may be available under different trademarks, for different indications, in different dosages, or in different strengths. Nothing contained herein should be considered a solicitation, promotion or advertisement for any prescription drugs including the ones under development.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220913005811/en/

Media:

Japanese Media

Jun Saito

jun.saito@takeda.com

+81 (0) 3-3278-2325

Media Outside Japan

Megan Ostrower

megan.ostrower@takeda.com

+1 772-559-4924

Source: Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited

FAQ

What is Takeda's recent contribution to its Global CSR Program?

Takeda has contributed a total of JPY 19.7 billion (approx. USD 140.7 million) since launching its Global CSR Program in 2016.

Which organizations are partnering with Takeda in 2022?

In 2022, Takeda is partnering with Ipas, Plan International, Pure Earth, and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

How much funding is allocated for improving sexual and reproductive health services?

Takeda allocated JPY 999 million (approx. USD 7.13 million) to Ipas for a four-year program focused on improving access to sexual and reproductive health services.

What health issues are Takeda's new programs addressing?

Takeda's new programs address sexual and reproductive health services, gender-based violence, and childhood lead poisoning among marginalized populations.

How many direct beneficiaries are expected from Takeda's Global CSR partnerships?

Takeda's Global CSR partnerships are on track to reach 22 million direct beneficiaries by 2027.