• Exploring the potential to repurpose marketed products and molecules to potentially treat COVID-19
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. & OSAKA, Japan-Monday 9 March 2020 [ AETOS Wire ]
For more information, visit https://www.takeda.com.
The companies in which Takeda directly and indirectly owns investments are separate entities. In this press release, “Takeda” is sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Takeda and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” are also used to refer to subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These expressions are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular company or companies.
(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TOKYO:4502/NYSE:TAK)
(“Takeda”) today will share with members of the United States Congress
that it is initiating the development of an anti-SARS-CoV-2 polyclonal
hyperimmune globulin (H-IG) to treat high-risk individuals with
COVID-19, while also studying whether Takeda’s currently marketed and
pipeline products may be effective treatments for infected patients.
SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19.
Hyperimmune
globulins are plasma derived-therapies that have previously been shown
to be effective in the treatment of severe acute viral respiratory
infections and may be a treatment option for COVID-19. As a leader in
plasma-derived therapies with more than 75 years of experience in the
development of plasma-derived products, Takeda has the expertise to
research, develop, and manufacture a potential anti-SARS-CoV-2
polyclonal H-IG, which Takeda is referring to as TAK-888.
“As
a company dedicated to the health and well-being of people around the
world, we will do all that we can to address the novel coronavirus
threat,” said Dr. Rajeev Venkayya, President of Takeda’s Vaccine
Business Unit and co-lead of the company’s COVID-19 response team. “We
have identified relevant assets and capabilities across the company and
are hopeful that we can expand the treatment options for patients with
COVID-19 and the providers caring for them.”
Takeda
is currently in discussions with multiple national health and
regulatory agencies and health care partners in the US, Asia, and Europe
to expeditiously move the research into TAK-888 forward. This requires
access to source plasma from people who have successfully recovered from
COVID-19 or who have been vaccinated, once a vaccine is developed.
These convalescent donors have developed antibodies to the virus that
could potentially mitigate severity of illness in COVID-19 patients and
possibly prevent it.
H-IG
works by concentrating the pathogen-specific antibodies from plasma
collected from recovered patients or vaccinated donors in the future. By
transferring the antibodies to a new patient, it may help that person’s
immune system respond to the infection and increase their chance of
recovery. Because the plasma needed for TAK-888 is unlikely to come from
current plasma donors, Takeda will initially produce the therapy in a
segregated area within its manufacturing facility in Georgia, and
development and production of it should not negatively impact Takeda’s
ability to produce its other plasma-derived therapies.
“Plasma-derived
therapies are critical, life-saving medicines that thousands of people
with rare and complex diseases rely on every day around the world,” said
Dr. Chris Morabito, Takeda’s Head of Research and Development,
Plasma-Derived Therapies Business Unit. “Our heritage, combined with our
scale, expertise and capabilities, uniquely position Takeda to realize
the potential of plasma-derived therapies, such as TAK-888.”
In
addition, Takeda is exploring whether select marketed therapies and
molecules in its drug library could be viable candidates for the
effective treatment of COVID-19. These efforts are at an early stage but
being given a high priority within the company.
An
internal working group of in-house experts in public health, vaccines,
plasma-derived therapies, and R&D will continue to seek
opportunities to leverage our expertise and extensive network of global
partners to address COVID-19. COVID-19 is the disease caused by severe
acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which can cause
pneumonia and has resulted in more than 3,000 deaths globally since its
recent discovery. To date, there are no approved vaccines or therapies
to prevent or treat COVID-19.
About Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TOKYO:4502/NYSE:TAK)
is a global, values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical leader
headquartered in Japan, committed to bringing Better Health and a
Brighter Future to patients by translating science into
highly-innovative medicines. Takeda focuses its R&D efforts on four
therapeutic areas: Oncology, Rare Diseases, Neuroscience, and
Gastroenterology (GI). We also make targeted R&D investments in
Plasma-Derived Therapies and Vaccines. We are focusing on developing
highly innovative medicines that contribute to making a difference in
people's lives by advancing the frontier of new treatment options and
leveraging our enhanced collaborative R&D engine and capabilities to
create a robust, modality-diverse pipeline. Our employees are committed
to improving quality of life for patients and to working with our
partners in health care in approximately 80 countries.
For more information, visit https://www.takeda.com.
About Plasma-Derived Therapies
Plasma-derived
therapies are essential for treating patients with a variety of rare,
life-threatening, complex and genetic diseases for which there are few
or no other treatment options. Plasma is the clear, straw-colored liquid
portion of blood that remains after red blood cells, white blood cells,
and platelets are removed. Plasma has multiple components with
different clinical uses. Plasma products have existed for ~ 80 years,
and industry-wide research is underway to assess the larger potential
therapeutic value of plasma in new diseases.
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The companies in which Takeda directly and indirectly owns investments are separate entities. In this press release, “Takeda” is sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Takeda and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” are also used to refer to subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These expressions are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular company or companies.
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Contacts
Media Contacts:
Japanese Media
Kazumi Kobayashi
Kazumi.Kobayashi@Takeda.com
+81 (0) 3-3278-2095
Media outside Japan
Katie Joyce
Katie.Joyce@Takeda.com
+1 (617) 678-9370
Deborah Hibbett
Deborah.Hibbett@Takeda.com
+ 41 79 961 8464
