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Biopharmaceutical leader Takeda
recently released its Access to Medicines Progress Report 2022,
highlighting the company’s progress in broadening access to life-changing
medicines and vaccines, with a special focus on low to middle-income countries
(LMICs).
Over the past two years, the
COVID-19 pandemic has shown the disproportionate effects of diseases,
especially for LMICS, with patients experiencing even more challenges in
getting access to the medicines they need. Not to mention its impact on
healthcare infrastructures, limiting the ability to invest in broadening access
to innovative medicines.
Takeda’s latest Access to Medicines
Report details the company’s Access to Medicines approach, which is: Patient
first, providing access based on the patient’s individual circumstances and
unique needs; Holistic, utilizing an end-to-end approach from education to
screening, diagnosis, treatment and aftercare; and Collaborative, placing
importance in building and supporting healthcare systems through partnerships.
The report also provides updates on the progress of their current Access to
Medicines Programs globally, including programs in the Philippines.
Improving Access to Lymphoma Treatments in the Philippines
In the Philippines, the cost of
medical treatment for serious illnesses can be financially prohibitive for
patients and their families. To help address this gap, Takeda utilized several
approaches – tiered pricing, which allows for price adjustments relative to a
country’s income levels and other factors, and Patient Access Programs (“PAP”),
which help patients with limited means to obtain Takeda’s innovative
treatments.
This approach was utilized to help reimagine lymphoma care
in the Philippines, where many patients are unable to get the medicine, they
need due to a lack of early and proper diagnosis.
Patients in the Philippines living
with Hodgkin lymphoma, one of the most prevalent 14 cancers in the country,
make an average of between five and 10 visits to different healthcare
professionals before being diagnosed, delaying critical treatment. For CD30
lymphoma testing, which is required to detect rarer forms of the condition,
there have historically been no routine testing procedures available. In
addition, outpatient diagnostic procedures are usually paid for out of pocket,
posing an additional financial barrier.
Utilizing its holistic approach,
Takeda Healthcare Philippines, Inc. (“Takeda Philippines”) has been working
closely with NGOs such as the Philippine Cancer Society and Pharmaceutical
Healthcare Association of the Philippines to provide support and financial
assistance for patients in need of CD30 testing. The company has also provided
financial support to patients through the PAP, enabling patients to access
complete courses of prescribed medication.
Since 2017, over
300 Filipino patients have been able to access and complete their course
of treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma through Takeda’s
PAP, which have worked with 113 hospitals, 197 physicians, and enrolled 346
patients.
Takeda Philippines has been working
to help to fill in gaps in the local health ecosystem during the pandemic. At
the onset of community quarantine in the Philippines, they worked with partners
and physicians to enable continuity in the administration of lymphoma medicine,
ensuring that doses were delivered to patients at the time of their treatments.
The company also accelerated the use
of digital platforms to serve as an educational resource for patients,
healthcare professionals, and the community at large, to raise awareness on the
condition and available treatments during the pandemic. Critical practitioner
training and end-to-end upskilling across capability areas such as pathology
diagnosis of CD30 lymphomas were also conducted to over 1,700 pathologists in
partnership with the Philippine Society of Pathologists
"In the Philippines, we’ve
channeled our efforts to providing holistic solutions to transform lymphoma
care in partnership with the country’s healthcare system. We hope to bring the
same patient-first, holistic and collaborative approach to broaden access to
medicines for other rare diseases as well, so that we can help the country
realize its goal of providing universal healthcare to Filipinos," said
Country Manager of Takeda Philippines, Mrs. Loreann Villanueva.
Globally, Takeda’s PAP
have been implemented in 18 countries and categories, benefitting over 5,700 patients
and resulting in improved patient access by 15% across countries where PAP have
been made available.
Launching a Global Network for Health Equity
Aside from addressing gaps in affordability,
Takeda has also launched its Takeda Center for Health Equity and Patient
Affairs, where the company is collaborating with a diverse global network of
health equity partners, including patients, communities, and organizations both public
and private, to empower communities to identify and address health inequities
sustainably, leading to improved care at every stage of the patient journey.
Today, Takeda’s Global
Health Equity Network spans 37 countries, comprising over 150 community-based
health equity leaders and 20 international and local NGO partners. Through the
network, more than 1,600 local clinicians, nurses, investigators, researchers
and health care workers in 37 countries have been trained in disease awareness,
diagnostic and treatment approaches, epidemiology, data management, basic and
health equity research and clinical trials; over 1,000 research projects and
clinical trials were conducted focused on addressing local health inequities
and diseases impacting communities;
while advances in local health care capacity used to improve screening,
diagnosis and treatment have benefitted over 20,000 patients.
For more information on
Takeda Philippines initiatives and to access the full Access to Medicines Progress
Report, visit www.takeda.com .
About Takeda
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.
Takeda Healthcare Philippines, Inc. (THPI) is a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited. Founded in 1968, THPI aims
to broaden patient access to treatment across the country through sustainable
access programs enabling affordable and integrated access solutions for disease
areas such as oncology, gastroenterology, rare diseases & vaccines and by
strengthening the healthcare system guided by our commitment to Patients, our
People and the Planet.
For more information,
visit https://www.takeda.com.
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