Takeda Philippines Healthcare, Inc. (“Takeda”), a leading pharmaceutical company committed to create better health for people and a brighter future for the world, has been recognized with two prestigious awards at the Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards (AREA) ceremony held in Cambodia.
The first award was given to Takeda’s Access To Medicines: Patient Assistance Program (AtM Program) in the Health Promotion category. Rooted in the vision of broadening access to life-changing medicines and vaccines in underserved communities, the AtM Program utilizes an integrated and sustainable approach that mobilizes the collective efforts of all involved stakeholders.
Focusing on diseases with the highest unmet need such as cancer and rare diseases, Takeda strives to bring its innovative and high-quality medicines to patients in the Philippines who have limited access to healthcare services. Through this program, the company has successfully provided financial assistance to over 600 patients nationwide, ensuring they receive crucial treatments regardless of their capacity to pay.
The AtM Program involves multi-stakeholder collaboration to address the pain points in the patient’s journey in the areas of disease awareness, accurate diagnosis, and appropriate treatment, support, and care. Based on Takeda’s insights on Filipino patients, it takes them about 5 to 10 visits to different doctors before they are properly diagnosed. Thus, the “Spot Lymphoma, Stop Lymphoma” campaign was launched together with 5 major medical societies and 2 non-government organizations to educate patients. Takeda in partnership with Philippine Cancer Society (PCS) provided CD30 screening through 24 hospitals majority of which are located outside of the capital of Metro Manila so patients would have access to CD30 screening.
Aside from screening, a series of workshops with Philippine Pathologists in partnership with medical societies were done to increase the skills and confidence of pathologists in utilizing immunohistochemistry and ensure early and proper diagnosis. The cornerstone of Takeda’s access program in the country is the Patient Assistance Program (PAP). This unique and innovative affordability-based program enabled more than 600 patients regardless of their socio-economic class to access their treatment with Takeda’s target therapy at a price that is based on the patient’s financial capacity to pay.
Takeda also partnered with an NGO to provide a series of training to oncology nurses to enrich their capability in educating patients. They also provided a grant to the Cancer Care Registry and Research Philippines Foundation (CARE PH) to expand its cancer registry and research.
Finally, as a culmination of Takeda’s holistic initiatives in 2022, the Access to Medicines (ATM) Summit gathered 137 multi-sectoral stakeholders from 42 organizations for a 2-day meeting, and discussed how each can support healthcare strengthening in the Philippines. Takeda’s framework is to build sustainable capacity at every stage from diagnosis to ongoing patient support. To date, more than 1,700 pathologists, 6,997 oncology and 5,683 endoscopy nurses, 4 medical societies, and 7 NGOs and patient organizations have partnered with Takeda in these endeavors.
The second award recognized Takeda for its unwavering dedication to employee well-being and engagement in the Investment in People category. These programs aim to foster a healthy and collaborative working environment, enabling employees to thrive personally and professionally.
Takeda’s employee well-being and engagement programs encompass diverse wellness initiatives and engagement activities that encourage a robust and motivated workforce. From the Partnerships for Growth (PFG) mentoring program, Lunch and Learn sessions, to career development and energy management workshops, Takeda invests in its employees’ growth and development. These engagement efforts cultivate open communication, collaborative relationships, and contribute to the company’s talent development and retention strategies, resulting in sustained high engagement levels with an average of 92% in the last two years of the company’s annual engagement survey.
Takeda’s dedication to its employees has also led to the prestigious Great Place to Work® certification for two consecutive years, as well as one of 2023 Philippines Best Workplaces. The company remains steadfast in ensuring its programs cater to the needs of its workforce, empowering them to flourish and reach their full potential.
“We are honored to receive these recognitions as it cements Takeda’s enduring commitment to serve communities as well as our employees,” Loreann Villanueva, Country Manager of Takeda Healthcare Philippines Inc. said. “These awards inspire us to push the boundaries further, making a lasting difference to the Filipino community through an empowered and highly dedicated workforce.”
AREA recognizes and honors deserving Asian businesses for championing sustainable and responsible business practices in the following categories: Green Leadership, Social Empowerment, Health Promotion, Investment in People, Corporate Governance, Circular Economy Leadership, Corporate Sustainability Reporting and Responsible Business Leadership.
Takeda Healthcare Philippines Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, a global R&D-driven biopharmaceutical company. Its headquarters in Makati City are home to Takeda Philippines’ employees who all share the same passion, drive, and commitment towards delivering life-transforming treatments, and sustainable patient access programs.
To learn more about Takeda and its initiatives, please visit www.takeda.com.
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