How we help innovative treatments reach more people

Putting our Access to Medicines approach into practice worldwide to expand access in low‑ and middle‑income countries.

“Science and technology are advancing at remarkable speed, but the challenge is ensuring these breakthroughs reach the people who need them most.”

Takeda President and Chief Executive Officer Christophe Weber highlights the issue at the heart of our Access to Medicines efforts.

Fragile supply chains, increasing debt burdens in low- and middle-income countries and mounting pressure on global health financing all threaten equitable access to health care, he explains. Climate change is also fueling the spread of disease, with its impacts exacerbating the rise in non‑communicable diseases in many under-resourced communities.^{1, 2}

Against this backdrop, our integrated Access to Medicines model combines local partnerships with global innovation to drive lasting impact where it’s needed most.

How does our Access to Medicines approach work?

Every initiative we undertake is designed to make our treatments more available, accessible and sustainable. In practice, this means that, based on the specific needs of each country or region’s health care system, we look at whether:

Our medicines are approved, supplied and can realistically reach patients
Patients and health care providers can afford them and know how to use them
These solutions are built into the system in a way that will last

We do this by staying focused on our three Access to Medicines priorities:

Partnering to strengthen health care systems
Overcoming financial barriers through affordability-based patient assistance programs, guided by clear eligibility criteria and applicable regulations
Building access into how we do business

How do our access initiatives deliver measurable health impact?

Health systems strengthening

We invest in strengthening local health systems so they can deliver care effectively and sustainably. Working with partners and aligning with local priorities, our initiatives focus on removing barriers to access at every step of the patient journey.

94

countries have benefited from our health systems strengthening initiatives since 2016³

Affordability‑based Patient Assistance Programs (PAPs)

Many patients in low‑ and middle‑income countries face high out‑of‑pocket costs for health care, which can make essential medicines unaffordable. In these countries, out-of-pocket costs account for an average of 36 percent of total health care expenditure – while in some countries, that figure reaches more than 75 percent.⁴

Our affordability‑based PAPs are designed to support patients who face financial barriers to accessing our innovative, life‑transforming treatments. Each program provides tailored support based on a patient’s financial situation, helping eligible patients complete the full course of treatment prescribed by their health care providers, regardless of their ability to pay.

27

active PAPs across 14 countries [as of FY2025 Q2]⁵

9,193

patients supported through PAPs [as of FY2025 Q2]⁶

How are we putting our Access to Medicines strategy into action?

Expanding access to plasma‑derived therapies through Plasma4Life and partnerships

Takeda is a founding and funding partner of Plasma4Life, a United Nations‑led initiative that builds health system resilience so more patients can access plasma‑derived therapies – often their only treatment option. Through a global knowledge hub, multi‑stakeholder country working groups and long‑standing collaborations with organizations like the World Federation of Hemophilia, this work is helping countries map their plasma ecosystems, close supply gaps and bring life‑saving therapies to underserved patients.

Scaling dengue protection through resilient supply chains

We’re building an adaptable global supply model for dengue vaccination. We’re doing this through initiatives such as designing our dengue vaccine to fit existing refrigerated transport systems in low- and middle-income countries and partnering with Biological E. in India to expand our manufacturing capacity. Working with partners like the Pan American Health Organization and Gavi, we are on a path to deliver up to 100 million doses annually by 2030, helping endemic countries protect millions of people.

Making gastrointestinal care more affordable in India

In India, patients with chronic gastrointestinal (GI) conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) often face long delays in diagnosis and high out-of-pocket costs, making sustained care difficult; one hospital-based study in southern India found that diagnosis can take between seven and 38 months, at a cost of around 5.5 times the average patient’s monthly household income.⁹ In response, we relaunched our GI-focused Patient Assistance Program (PAP) in 2023 with a tailored, means-based financial model designed to better match each patient’s ability to pay and support access to treatment. In just two years (2022–2024), the number of patients accessing treatment through this PAP rose by 147%,¹⁰ underscoring both the extent of unmet need and the impact context-specific affordability solutions can have within India’s diverse health care ecosystem.

To learn more about how we help innovation reach the people who need it most, read our 2025 Access to Medicines Report.

### Expanding access to plasma‑derived therapies through Plasma4Life and partnerships Takeda is a founding and funding partner of Plasma4Life, a United Nations‑led initiative that builds health system resilience so more patients can access plasma‑derived therapies – often their only treatment option. Through a global knowledge hub, multi‑stakeholder country working groups and long‑standing collaborations with organizations like the World Federation of Hemophilia, this work is helping countries map their plasma ecosystems, close supply gaps and bring life‑saving therapies to underserved patients. ### Scaling dengue protection through resilient supply chains We’re building an adaptable global supply model for dengue vaccination. We’re doing this through initiatives such as designing our dengue vaccine to fit existing refrigerated transport systems in low- and middle-income countries and [partnering with Biological E. in India](https://www.takeda.com/newsroom/newsreleases/2024/collaboration-to-accelerate-access-to-dengue-vaccine/) to expand our manufacturing capacity. Working with partners like the [Pan American Health Organization](https://www.paho.org/en) and [Gavi](https://www.gavi.org/), we are on a path to deliver up to 100 million doses annually by 2030, helping endemic countries protect millions of people. ### Making gastrointestinal care more affordable in India In India, patients with chronic gastrointestinal (GI) conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) often face long delays in diagnosis and high out-of-pocket costs, making sustained care difficult; one hospital-based study in southern India found that diagnosis can take between seven and 38 months, at a cost of around 5.5 times the average patient’s monthly household income.<sup>9</sup> In response, we relaunched our GI-focused Patient Assistance Program (PAP) in 2023 with a tailored, means-based financial model designed to better match each patient’s ability to pay and support access to treatment. In just two years (2022–2024), the number of patients accessing treatment through this PAP rose by 147%,<sup>10</sup> underscoring both the extent of unmet need and the impact context-specific affordability solutions can have within India’s diverse health care ecosystem. To learn more about how we help innovation reach the people who need it most, read our 2025 Access to Medicines Report.

Visit the Access to Medicines page

References

Climate change; The World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-and-health
Climate change and noncommunicable diseases: connections; The World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/news/item/02-11-2023-climate-change-and-noncommunicable-diseases-connections
Takeda proprietary data.
Out-of-pocket expenditure as percentage of current health expenditure (CHE) %, 2022, Lower-middle-income, low-income and upper-middle-income countries, World Health Organization. Available at: https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/out-of-pocket-expenditure-as-percentage-of-current-health-expenditure-%28che%29-%28-%29
Takeda proprietary data, as of FY2025 Q2.
Takeda proprietary data since inception, as of FY2025 Q2.
Based on Takeda’s FY2023 and FY2024 internal data, as published in Annual Integrated Report 2025.
Takeda proprietary data
V. S., V., Mathews, N.V., Rao, N.V. et al. Economic burden borne by patients due to diagnostic delays in inflammatory bowel disease: Insights from a survey of newly diagnosed patients. Indian J Gastroenterol, 2025. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12664-025-01822-3
Takeda proprietary data

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