JICA supports Takeda's Access to Medicines Strategy in a Public-Private-Partnership

Japan’s largest drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceutical (TYO: 4502) said on Friday that its operational plan to improve Access to Medicines in Kenya will be supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), as part of JICA’s Public-Private-Partnership program named the Preparatory Survey for the Base of the Economic Pyramid.

“We are delighted to receive support from JICA for our efforts in Access to Medicines and to enter into this Public-Private Partnership,” said Isabel Torres, global head, Access to Medicine. “A combination of factors, including, insufficient medical facilities, inadequate infrastructure, low-levels of effective transportation, makes improvements in Access to Medicines in the sub-Saharan Africa region, a matter of urgency. Takeda aims to make a contribution to address barriers to access via multiple partnerships, including this one with JICA,” she added.

The purpose of this Public-Private-Partnership program is to study income levels of patients with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the sub-Saharan Africa region, a pioneering activity to understand how to improve access to medicines and healthcare for patients, by determining their affordability levels. The study, which commences in October 2016 and is expected to conclude in March 2017, will be implemented primarily via Takeda’s recently opened Nairobi office. Primarily, Takeda aims to optimize the program to provide our innovative medicines to those patients in need by performing a field study on income levels of patients with NCDs in Kenya, and understanding the burden of related medical expenses.

As part of its Access to Medicines strategy, Takeda also recently announced the signing of agreements with The University of Nairobi, The Elewa Cancer Foundation and Pan African Heart Foundation (PANAHF) to address a range of access barriers to address significant disease burdens in sub-Saharan to help address the significant unmet medical needs of patients across the region.

In regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, the ratio of diagnosis and treatment for NCDs is extremely low. Regardless of whether these diseases are treatable, many patients lose their lives due to insufficient treatment due to multiple access barriers.

Takeda’s Access to Medicines Strategy

Access to innovative medicines and quality healthcare is vital to the health of people across the world. Takeda’s bold, new Access to Medicines strategy will expand on existing commitments to enhance global health so that eligible patients in evolving healthcare systems, such as those in Latin America, South East Asia and Africa, can have access to its innovative and potentially life-saving medicines, even if their ability to pay for the full cost of treatment is limited.

Takeda’s new AtM strategy will focus on increasing access to some of its most innovative medicines in the areas of oncology and specialty gastroenterology, as well as its vaccine candidates for communicable diseases such as dengue and chikungunya. By doing so, Takeda aspires to achieve the greatest possible health impact for eligible patients in a sustainable way in parts of the world with high, unmet medical needs.

Takeda’s Access to Medicines strategy also goes ‘beyond medicines’ to address multiple access barriers by including the development of AtM-targeted life-cycle management for its existing medicines, accelerated registration of its innovative medicines, increased participation of local centres in clinical trials, establishment of early access programs where applicable, and introduction of innovative approaches to address affordability for those patients whose ability to pay the full cost of treatment is limited.