OSAKA, Japan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TOKYO:4502) today announced that Takeda will exclusively support “Global Measles Vaccination for Children” by the United Nations Foundation’s Shot@Life campaign. The initiative aims to provide measles vaccination to at least 5.4 million children in approximately 40 developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America over 10 years. We have donated one billion yen to the United Nations Foundation to implement the program.
Measles is the one of the highest contagious diseases that killed nearly 115,000 children worldwide per year, which could have been prevented with vaccination.* These deaths generally occurred in low-income countries where there are many barriers to accessing vaccination. We support activities to provide measles vaccination to at least 5.4 million children over 10 years from 2016 to 2026 in partnership with the United Nations Foundation. In addition, opportunities to take a course on vaccine and vaccination or for site visit will be provided to our employees by the United Nations Foundation.
"Takeda is delighted to provide major funding to this important United Nations Foundation initiative as an exclusive partner to give more than 5 million measles vaccines to children in developing countries around the world," said Haruhiko Hirate, Corporate Communications & Public Affairs Officer. "We are at the center of many important vaccine-related activities in global health and emerging infectious diseases, like dengue, norovirus, polio and Zika, and also focusing on prevention for health in developing and emerging countries through our global CSR programs. This measles donation is yet another clear demonstration of our commitment to the health of people everywhere."
We have positioned vaccines as a core therapeutic area, and are actively engaged in the development and sales of vaccines in response to the most serious challenges in global public health. Given our 70-year-long vaccine business in Japan, this program is considered to be closely aligned with the business. We will contribute to better health and a brighter healthcare future for people worldwide through leading innovation in medicine as a pharmaceutical company involved in improving people’s lives. Furthermore, we will also continue to contribute to society by supporting patients who require more than just supply of pharmaceutical goods, as well as their families.
In a new initiative, we have selected our global CSR program through a vote by all employees. In 2016, three programs including this program, “Community Health Workers Training for Maternal and Child Health (Partner: World Vision),” and “Maternal and Newborn Health for Ethnic Minority (Partner: Save the Children Japan)” which focused on maternal and child health and released on the same day, have been selected.
* Source: WHO http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs286/en/
About the United Nations Foundation
The United Nations Foundation builds public-private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems, and broadens support for the United Nations through advocacy and public outreach. Through innovative campaigns and initiatives, the Foundation connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The Foundation was created in 1998 as a U.S. public charity by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner and now is supported by philanthropic, corporate, government, and individual donors. Learn more at: www.unfoundation.org.
About Shot@Life
Shot@Life, a campaign of the United Nations Foundation, educates, connects and empowers individuals to champion global vaccines as one of the most effective ways to save the lives of children in developing countries. Go to ShotAtLife.org to learn more.
About Takeda CSR Activities
For Takeda, CSR is rooted in putting the patient in the center and operating a pharmaceutical business that creates outstanding products. In addition, we strive to maintain and improve sound business processes, and to engage in activities to promote a sustainable society as a good corporate citizen. In doing so, we are implementing a model of value creation and preservation through CSR. This will help us to build trust with society, reinforce our reputation, and further develop the pharmaceutical business. For more information, visit http://www.takeda.com/csr/policy/.
Takeda’s Commitment to Vaccines
Vaccines prevent more than two million deaths each year and have transformed global public health. For 70 years, Takeda has supplied vaccines to protect the health of people in Japan. Today, Takeda’s global vaccine business is applying innovation to tackle some of the world’s most challenging infectious diseases, such as dengue, norovirus and polio. Our team brings an outstanding track record and a wealth of knowledge in vaccine development, manufacturing and global access to advance a pipeline of vaccines to address some of the world’s most pressing public health needs.
