OSAKA, JAPAN & CAMBRIDGE, MASS. -- Takeda (TOKYO:4502/NYSE: TAK) committed JPY4.6 billion (Approx. USD 32 million) to five new Global Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) partners as part of the company’s ongoing commitment to improving health systems resiliency in low and middle-income countries around the world. This commitment demonstrates Takeda’s focus on tackling systemic disparities and supporting local leadership in strengthening health infrastructure, empowering health workforce, and increasing local knowledge and capacity to improve equitable and sustainable healthcare access and delivery.

By 2030, these new collaborations are anticipated to extend Takeda’s impact to 27 million people across 93 countries, raising the total contributions from Takeda’s Global CSR Program to over JPY 28.8 billion (Approx. USD 199.1 million) across 34 significant partnerships since it began in 2016. The five new partners were selected by more than 22,000 Takeda employees across 80 countries and regions through a company-wide vote, highlighting the company’s commitment to a collaborative and inclusive approach in its global corporate giving initiative.

“Since our founding in 1781, Takeda has put patients, people and society at the center of its business decisions. We are committed to being a respected partner, making a long-term contribution to society to address health challenges worldwide. Our Global CSR Program has served as a strong demonstration of this commitment since 2016.” said Takako Ohyabu, chief global corporate affairs and sustainability officer at Takeda. “I’m particularly proud of each of our new partners’ thoughtful commitment to equity, scalability and sustainability as cornerstones of health systems resiliency. These long-term partnerships will not only deliver tangible impact, but they will also share invaluable lessons, creating a ripple effect of innovation and improved health outcomes for people worldwide, especially for vulnerable populations in remote and conflict settings.”

Takeda’s commitments to these new partners in FY2024 include:

· JPY 1,007 million (Approx. USD 7.0 million) to Population Services International (PSI) to expand vaccine access through pharmacy-based immunization across Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria, linking pharmacies to national vaccination programs, creating new service points within health systems and reducing the burden on public clinics, ultimately creating a blueprint to scale immunization access across Africa.
· JPY 310 million (Approx. USD 2.1 million) to Bulungula Incubator to integrate a community-driven, holistic healthcare approach with the national health system in South Africa’s remote Xhorha Mouth Administrative Area, demonstrating a replicable approach to universal healthcare in rural areas, empowering community health workers, and integrating healthcare across local schools, sports events and community radio.
· JPY 1,169 million (Approx. USD 8.1 million) to Reach Out Cameroon to increase access to appropriate care and psychosocial support for women and girls in extremely hard-to-reach communities experiencing long-term conflict in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria by training health workers, supply chain managers and youth champions, and increasing the capacity of 270 poorly equipped health facilities in highly populated communities to offer quality services, supplies and information.
· JPY 895 million (Approx. USD 6.2 million) to Seed Global Health to support Malawi, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zambia in building a skilled health workforce to support their national health goals including launching new academic programs in OB/GYN and neonatal emergency care, establishing three locally led centers of excellence for maternal and neonatal health service training and delivery and graduating 5,900 qualified health professionals ready to serve their communities.
· JPY 1,259 million (Approx. USD 8.7 million) to VillageReach to support Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda in strengthening the capacity of their national health systems to rapidly and reliably transport patient samples to laboratories for diagnosis and promptly respond to outbreaks, as well as create an integrated solution for all outbreak-prone diseases to contain them faster. As a result, countries will be able to detect diseases early, save lives and reduce the burden on fragile health systems during disruptions.

The new partners shared:

· “Vaccines save people’s lives, and amidst global decreases in routine immunizations we see the potential to mobilize pharmacies to provide vaccines - all at scale,” said Karl Hofmann, CEO and president, PSI. “This partnership will support health systems to increase vaccination rates, equip people to take charge of their health, and accelerate our collective progress toward Universal Health Coverage.”
· “We are honored to partner with Takeda to significantly enhance healthcare access and outcomes in remote rural communities, ensuring sustainable, community-driven health solutions,” said Réjane Woodroffe, director, Bulungula Incubator. “By enclosing the circle of compassion and care, we are committed to including those most often left behind. Together, we aim to create resilient communities where every individual has the opportunity to thrive.”
· “At a time when the world is facing severe challenges from humanitarian emergencies, especially conflict-driven emergencies, access to quality care is the right of every woman and girl,” said Esther Omam Njomo, executive director, Reach Out Cameroon. “Our partnership with Takeda is a bold step towards improving that access for women and girls in conflict-affected communities in Cameroon, DR Congo and Nigeria.”
“Takeda’s generous support allows Seed Global Health and our local partners to train more doctors, nurses, and midwives and provide them with the resources they need to deliver high quality care and save lives,” said Andrew Musoke, COO, Seed Global Health.
· “With a rise in emerging outbreaks, the need for responsive primary health care systems is more urgent than ever,” said Emily Bancroft, CEO and president, VillageReach. “This partnership with Takeda offers a timely opportunity to work with governments to bolster the infrastructure that allows them to detect and contain outbreaks quickly. By speeding up identification and diagnosis, we can enable swift response to extreme epidemics and save countless lives.”

Since its launch in 2016, Takeda’s Global CSR Program has reached more than 17.8 million direct beneficiaries in 93 countries and contributed to strengthening health systems including the following areas informed by WHO’s Health System Strengthening Building Blocks:

· Accelerating Service Delivery and Access to Essential Medicines: Improved accessibility, coverage and quality of service delivery (e.g., screening, referrals and follow ups) for more than 13.4 million people; provided essential health supplies to more than 28,000 people; empowered more than 4.1 million community members with targeted health education, including on nutrition, water, sanitation, hygiene, and sexual and reproductive health; and refurbished or built over 2,700 health facilities.
· Empowering the Health Workforce: Developed knowledge, skills, motivation and deployment of health workforce by providing training to more than 110,000 qualified health professionals and community health workers responsible for organizing and delivering health services, as well as those who do not deliver services directly but are essential to the performance of health systems, such as health supply chain managers and health information system administrators.
· Advancing Health Information Systems: Developed, enhanced, or implemented 276 digital solutions, platforms, or tools to support data-informed health planning and health decision-making.
· Strengthening Leadership and Governance: Developed or enhanced 420 strategic plans and policies linked to national and local needs and priorities to ensure local ownership while sustaining and scaling innovative solutions.