Empowering informed decisions about clinical trials | Takeda Stories

“Every patient deserves access to hope, clarity and choice.”

Amanda Decoker, head of patient engagement, experience and recruitment at Takeda, believes that making those choices possible starts with making sure patients understand every option available to them – including clinical trials. “Clinical trials have long been a cornerstone of medical innovation, yet for many patients, participation can seem out of reach amid complex systems, limited awareness and fragmented access. Patients and their healthcare providers may face challenges identifying trials relevant to a patient’s condition and navigating referral opportunities as part of the treatment journey.”

In a survey of more than 12,000 people across 68 countries, 44.9% said their doctors rarely discuss clinical trials with them.¹ Misconceptions can also discourage participation. Patients may worry about safety, feel like “guinea pigs,” or struggle to understand the potential risks and benefits.

Artificial intelligence can help identify people who may qualify for a study, but technology alone can’t solve these challenges.^2,3 Potential participants and families also need clear information, opportunities to ask questions and confidence that their voices will be heard.

For Takeda, addressing these needs means building relationships with communities. As Amanda explains, “By meeting people where they are, we deliver trusted information and meaningful support that enable informed decisions and greater engagement with their providers in their healthcare journey.”

Our approach combines trust, tools and transparency to help potential participants and families explore clinical research, with their healthcare providers, with confidence and clarity.

Building trust requires providing patients and families with the right information at the right time. Takeda's innovative digital tools are designed to do just that.

WeConnect is our U.S. patient and healthcare provider clinical trial registration and engagement platform that uses plain language and intuitive design to help individuals and families learn about clinical research and explore Takeda-sponsored trial opportunities. By joining the registry, patients take an active role in their health journey, indicating conditions of interest and identifying Takeda clinical trials in their area that may be relevant to them. WeConnect is more than a tool for identifying potential Takeda-sponsored clinical trial opportunities. It is a patient engagement ecosystem that educates, empowers and retains research-interested individuals, creating a community of informed, trial-interested participants for today and future studies.

Since its launch in April 2024, WeConnect has recorded more than 4.1 million website visits, enrolled 16,800 registry participants, generated 333,000 visits to our study-specific websites and referred 402 patients to potential Takeda trial opportunities.

Transparency is essential to trust in clinical research. That’s why we make information about our clinical trials publicly available throughout the study lifecycle via ClinicalTrials.Takeda.com, including details about study design and results – whether positive or negative – all written in clear language intended to be understood by people without medical training.

We also support further scientific advancement by providing researchers with access to anonymized clinical trial data and study documents through secure platforms with strict privacy safeguards.

We see transparency as more than a requirement; it’s a foundation for earning trust.

Supporting clinical trial interest requires more than matching patients to studies. It requires relationships, understandable information and transparency. By combining community engagement with digital tools and open communication, we aim to help patients and families make informed decisions with their healthcare providers about whether clinical research is right for them.