Takeda And Lundbeck Take Innovative Approach To Connecting With People Living With Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)

Lighter Blue Facebook Page wins prestigious Bronze award at IPA Best of Health Awards for fostering engagement with MDD community

Deerfield, Ill., December 2, 2016 – On November 29, 2016 Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE:4502) and Lundbeck received a Bronze award at the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) Best of Health Awards in the Consumer, Social Media category for Lighter Blue. Lighter Blue, an online community, takes a unique, empathetic approach to educating about Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in order to help people have informed conversations about their condition with their healthcare providers. The awards are steered by the IPA Healthcare Group, which is comprised of a number of IPA member healthcare agencies who look to identify, develop and promote best practice in the industry, under the umbrella of the IPA, which is a professional body for practitioners in advertising and marketing communications. The Lighter Blue campaign, featuring the cartoon character “Blue” was launched via Facebook earlier this year and has quickly evolved into a large support community for people with depression, fostering intensely loyal members who talk openly, and reach out to support each other. Visit www.facebook.com/LighterBluePage/ or www.lighterblue.com to experience Lighter Blue.

The true innovation of this program is the unique approach to communicating about MDD that educates and inspires in an empathetic way. The unexpected style – quirky humor – helps people living with the condition feel understood. It also provides a moment to see the “lighter” side of their depression and they don’t have to self-recognize with only the negative.

The IPA Best of Health Show awards the best creativity in healthcare advertising to both healthcare professionals and consumers.

About Depression
MDD is a complex medical condition affecting approximately 14 million adult Americans in a given year.[1] Many people think depression is just sadness, but MDD is a combination of many symptoms. In addition to depressed mood or sadness, MDD symptoms include loss of interest, changes in appetite or weight, insomnia or oversleeping, loss of energy, restlessness or having slowed speech and movements, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, difficulty thinking or making decisions and thoughts of suicide.

About Lundbeck
Based in Deerfield, Ill., Lundbeck US is an affiliate of H. Lundbeck A/S in Denmark, and focused solely on accelerating therapies for brain disorders. The company is engaged in the research, development, production, marketing and sale of innovative therapies that fulfill unmet medical needs among people living with challenging and sometimes rare neurologic and psychiatric disorders. In its research pipeline, the company has neurology compounds under investigation for Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, in addition to therapies in development for mental health disorders. With a special commitment to the lives of patients, families and caregivers, Lundbeck actively engages in hundreds of initiatives each year that support our patient communities. To learn more, visit us at www.LundbeckUS.com and connect with us on Twitter at @LundbeckUS.

About Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. 
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited is a global, R&D-driven pharmaceutical company committed to bringing better health and a brighter future to patients by translating science into life-changing medicines. Takeda focuses its research efforts on oncology, gastroenterology and central nervous system therapeutic areas. It also has specific development programs in specialty cardiovascular diseases as well as late-stage candidates for vaccines. Takeda conducts R&D both internally and with partners to stay at the leading edge of innovation. New innovative products, especially in oncology and gastroenterology, as well as its presence in emerging markets, fuel the growth of Takeda. More than 30,000 Takeda employees are committed to improving quality of life for patients, working with our partners in health care in more than 70 countries. For more information, visit http://www.takeda.com/news.

Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. is located in Deerfield, Ill., and is the U.S. marketing and sales organization of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited.

Additional information about Takeda is available through its corporate website, www.takeda.com, and additional information about Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. is available through its website, www.takeda.us.

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Contacts:
Nick Przybyciel
Public Relations Manager
Lundbeck
+1-847-527-9976

Roseanne Durril
Corporate Communications
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
+1-224-554-1474

[1] Kessler RC, Chiu WT, Demler O, Merikangas KR, Walters EE. Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of 12-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2005;62(6):617-627.