Harnessing partnerships for better public health outcomes
Takeda’s strategic collaborations support disease education, facilitate treatment access and bridge diagnosis gaps.
Takeda has been collaborating with various stakeholders to promote equitable healthcare access across India and Southeast Asia through multiple avenues, such as the co-hosting of the Southeast Asia Rare Disease Summit in Thailand. Photos: Takeda
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The theme of this year’s World Health Day, ‘My health, my right’, underscores every individual’s right to quality healthcare, education, information and other essential factors for maintaining good health.
Achieving robust public health entails closing access gaps through initiatives and programmes aimed at building resilient healthcare systems in underserved populations. In line with this goal, global biopharmaceutical company Takeda has been partnering with various stakeholders spanning governmental bodies, patient advocacy groups, caregivers and clinicians to drive innovation and improve public health outcomes in India and Southeast Asia.
INNOVATING CANCER TREATMENT AND ENABLING ACCESS
With 25 years of expertise in advanced oncology research and precision medicine, Takeda has been at the forefront of treating blood cancers and solid tumours. Presently, its pipeline is focused on innate immunity, an area with untapped potential for oncology treatments.
Innate immunity serves as the body’s primary defence, combating threats through broader, generalised immune responses. Adaptive immunity, on the other hand, targets specific pathogens like viruses.
“At Takeda, we aim to introduce new classes of immunotherapies that can boost innate immunity and engage both components of the immune system to produce durable responses in cancer patients,” said Dr Goh Choo Beng, head of medical affairs, India and Southeast Asia, Takeda.
Beyond innovation, Takeda is dedicated to broadening access to cancer therapies. Since 2017, it has been prioritising the establishment of public-private partnerships geared toward addressing drug accessibility and securing sustainable reimbursement funding for vulnerable patients.
While national reimbursement facilitates broad patient access, Takeda’s Patient Assistance Programmes (PAPs) serve to bridge the affordability barriers for many patients. Ongoing partnerships with governments and organisations contribute to maintaining sustained access to treatment and care.
Last year, Takeda launched its inaugural PAP in Vietnam to mitigate the cost barrier to innovative treatment options for Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer impacting the lymphatic system.
“The programme provides tailored financial support for patients who can’t afford treatment,” said Mr Dion Warren, area head of India and Southeast Asia, Takeda. “Eligible patients can now access the complete course of treatment prescribed by their doctors through the PAP.”
Continuing the dialogue on timely access to quality medicines, Takeda brought together government agencies, healthcare providers, researchers, non-government organisations and patient advocacy groups at the Access to Medicine Summit in the Philippines in February.
ADVOCATING INTEGRATED DENGUE MANAGEMENT
In India and Southeast Asia, where more than a quarter of the world’s population resides, dengue is both endemic and on the rise. There is an urgent need for an integrated dengue management approach that includes combining traditional methods such as personal protection, surveillance and vector control with newer strategies like Project Wolbachia and vaccination.
Last October, Takeda’s live-attenuated quadrivalent dengue vaccine was recommended by the World Health Organization’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization for use in areas with high dengue transmission and infection.
“While an effective vaccine is essential in combatting dengue, it is equally vital to ensure that the vaccine is embedded in a wider, integrated approach encompassing prevention, disease awareness and monitoring, and ensuring accessibility for communities most in need,” said Dr Goh.
For instance, over in Thailand, Takeda entered a Dengue-Zero memorandum of understanding (MOU) in 2022 with the Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, medical associations and like-minded partners. The coalition’s joint efforts span awareness activities, a vector control programme as well as a surveillance system for enhanced dengue prevention and control.
In Vietnam last September, an MOU was signed between Takeda and VNVC Vaccination Centers as part of an initiative to raise awareness about the threat of dengue among the medical community and public.
More recently, Takeda launched a collaboration with Alodokter, a leading healthtech platform in Indonesia, to raise awareness and educate workers, healthcare professionals and the general public on the dangers and prevention of dengue.
CLOSING THE DIAGNOSIS GAP FOR RARE DISEASES
Strategic partnerships have also played a pivotal role in elevating the management and treatment of rare diseases in India and Southeast Asia, notably in tackling diagnostic delays.
Takeda teamed up with the Rare Disorders Society Singapore to raise funds and bridge the diagnosis gap for Gaucher and Fabry diseases using an innovative symptom matcher tool. The collaborative #AreYouRare? campaign guides individuals to an online questionnaire specific to each disease, aiding in the assessment of disease risks.
Furthermore, Takeda co-hosted the Southeast Asia Rare Disease Summit in March, in partnership with the Medical Association of Thailand, the Thai Rare Disease Foundation and the Medical Genetics and Genomics Association. The summit focused on improving access to diagnosis and treatment for rare diseases, resulting in commitments to implement impactful initiatives.
In addition to partnerships, technology forms the backbone of Takeda’s cooperation with SingHealth, King Edward Memorial Hospital Australia, Curtin University and social enterprise FrontierSI. The collaboration has led to the development of Cliniface, a 3D facial visualisation, measurement and analysis software that is poised to aid clinicians and researchers in recognising how facial variation relates to rare diseases and other conditions.
According to Mr Warren, the company envisions a future where public health outcomes are improved through research, innovation and equitable access.
“We hope to achieve this by working with our partners in the public and private sectors to drive awareness, education and advocacy in communities across India and Southeast Asia,” he said. “Together, we can champion access to essential medicines, vaccines, healthcare services and information, thus enhancing the quality of life for all.”
Learn how Takeda is empowering the delivery of healthcare through strategic innovation and partnerships, for a healthier tomorrow.
