SINGAPORE, Dec. 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Enterprise Asia, the organizer of the Asia Pacific Enterprise Awards (APEA) 2022 Regional Edition, is pleased to recognize 25 exemplary business leaders and enterprises across Asia which excelled and showcased unparalleled resilience and growth despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Organized annually across 16 countries and markets, the APEA is the most reputable award recognition program recognizing entrepreneurial excellence across Asia. The Awards aim to congregate outstanding business leaders and enterprises across Asia into one unparalleled platform for fostering the continuity of sustainable entrepreneurial growth in Asian economies.

Takeda Healthcare Philippines Inc (Takeda Philippines) is also among the elite award recipients under the Inspirational Category in the Healthcare, Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology industry.

Takeda Pharmaceuticals International AG (Takeda) is a patient-focused, values-based, R&D-driven global biopharmaceutical company committed to bringing Better Health and a Brighter Future to people worldwide. Takeda's passion and pursuit of potentially life-changing treatments for patients are deeply rooted in its distinguished history in Japan since 1781. Affiliated companies of Takeda are now present in 80 countries and regions. In 1968, a subsidiary of Takeda was established in the Philippines. Takeda's Access to Medicines (AtM) approach is an integral part of the company's commitment to improving lives worldwide, aiming to increase access to innovative medicines and vaccines and elevate standards of healthcare for complex or rare diseases.

The objective of Takeda Philippines is to focus on diseases with the highest unmet need, bringing life-changing therapies to Filipinos in 2 core therapeutic areas – oncology and gastroenterology, along with 3 more areas, rare immunology, rare hematology and vaccines in the pipeline. Takeda currently has 10 marketed products available for Filipino patients with 7 new product launches planned over the next 3 years.

In line with its commitment to helping patients in underserved communities access the medicines they need, Takeda has designated the Philippines as an Access Country, whereby locally generated revenues are reinvested in programs that strengthen the country's healthcare system. Access countries are identified as such due to two main factors: considerable unmet patient needs and high out-of-pocket expenses.

With this, Takeda is focused on broadening patient access to their life-changing treatments through three strategic imperatives: capacity building; expanding patient access to innovative affordability programs and collaborating with policy-makers to enable broader access to medicines.

As a biopharmaceutical leader, Takeda is guided by its values of Integrity, Fairness, Honesty, and Perseverance, with Integrity at the core, brought to life through its priorities of Patient, Trust, Reputation, and Business. Takeda puts patients at the heart of everything it does, in every decision that it makes, always pursuing business with a purpose that puts society's trust in Takeda and its reputation.

In 2017, Takeda Philippines launched its Access to Innovative Medicines strategy to improve access to care and treatment – but this is no easy task with multiple barriers like an underdeveloped healthcare infrastructure with limited diagnostic facilities for special cases, unequal financial access to health services, and limited funding for medicines.

Given these challenges, Takeda Philippines is utilizing a holistic, multi-sectoral approach to improving access, addressing not only barriers across the patient journey but also spearheading initiatives to strengthen the country's healthcare system. As a member of the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP), the company engages with key stakeholders for specific reforms related to the Philippine Medicines Policy, Cancer Control, and the Rare Diseases Act, advocating for more efficient regulatory pathways and Health Technology Assessment to enable reimbursement or procurement of novel medicines or vaccines.

Takeda Philippines addressed challenges in cancer care in multiple ways. Takeda's 'Spot Lymphoma, Stop Lymphoma' campaign generated awareness about the disease through publicity efforts, garnering over USD165,000 in media value. To improve diagnosis, it provided free CD30 screening to 62 patients in partnership with the Philippine Cancer Society, free CD15 and CD30 screening to 60 patients in partnership with the PHAPCares Foundation, the social responsibility arm of the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines, and the Philippine General Hospital-PGH Medical Foundation, along with free training for over 1700 pathologists. It also donated an initial grant of USD16,000 to Cancer Care Registry and Research Philippines Foundation (CARE PH) to expand cancer research in the Philippines.

Through its Patient Assistance Program, Takeda Philippines provided financial assistance to over 500 patients, helping them complete their treatment for Hodgkins Lymphoma and Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) even when they cannot afford to pay for it in full. It also provided free patient care training for 1930 oncology nurses. Collaboration initiatives were also executed to strengthen the country's healthcare system. Takeda Philippines sponsored and organized 43 forum events with different primary stakeholders and partners (medical societies, NGOs, patient organizations) for the fiscal year 2021-2022 and also spearheaded an Access to Medicines Summit for stakeholders. Through these programs, the company achieved 15% oncology revenue growth and a market share of 93%. *based on IQVIA data for L01G9 : Monoclonal Antibody Antineoplastics as of MAT June 2022

Moving forward, Takeda Philippines will focus on improving access to medicines via the introduction of expansion of its oncology & rare diseases portfolio and the introduction of a dengue vaccine with the rise of dengue cases in the Philippines in 2022. Moreover, it will also continue supporting the advocacy of Patient Organizations for the localization of the National Integrated Cancer Control Act at the local government level and maintain continued policy advocacy to the government for Health Technology Assessment (HTA) of innovative drugs for cancer and rare diseases for inclusion in the Philippine National Formulary.

About Enterprise Asia

Enterprise Asia is a non-governmental organization in pursuit of creating an Asia that is rich in entrepreneurship as an engine towards sustainable and progressive economic and social development. Please visit www.enterpriseasia.org for more information.

About Asia Pacific Enterprise Awards

With a presence across 16 countries and markets, the Asia Pacific Enterprise Awards is the region's most prestigious awards for outstanding entrepreneurship, continuous innovation and sustainable leadership. For further information, visit www.apea.asia.

Source: Enterprise Asia