Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, we’ve received video messages from CDF delegates who expressed their support to China.

Today’s video is from Christophe Weber, President and CEO of Takeda Pharmaceutical.

He said that “We are confident that the resilience of China and its people will prevail, and you will emerge stronger than before. I am committed to CDF 2020, and I’ll do my best to attend. On behalf of Takeda, we wish you the best and we will continue to support your efforts.”

As a company, Takeda is committed to China and to patients around the world. To date, Takeda has expressed support through donations for epidemic control, supplies of protective masks and clothing, and medical supplies. Many of these have already been put to use in Wuhan.

Medical equipments donated by Takeda to Wuhan

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The following is the full speech.

Hello. I’m Christophe Weber, President and CEO of Takeda Pharmaceutical. Firstly, all of us at Takeda wish a speedy recovery to the people in China who have become ill as a result of the novel coronavirus, and we offer our most sincere condolences to those who have lost loved ones.

The COVID-19 outbreak remains of great concern. As a global, values-based, science-driven biopharmaceutical company, we are keenly aware of the challenges and complexities in managing and preventing the spread of this virus.

We recognize the work you all do individually, alongside government and health care professionals, to combat this outbreak and protect the lives of your citizens. Specifically, I‘d like to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of more than 32,000 doctors, nurses and other health care staff in Wuhan and Hubei. They are at the forefront in the fight against this outbreak. Their dedication and courage are exemplary.

In the past few weeks, we have seen people and corporations both inside and outside of China mobilizing to support the relief efforts and help patients and health care professionals impacted by this outbreak.

As a company, we are committed to China and to patients around the world. Teams across Takeda are working together to make sure we're able to respond in the most effective way possible to support patients, the medical community and our employees in China.

To date, we have expressed our support through donations for epidemic control, supplies of protective masks and clothing, and medical supplies. We are pleased that many of these have already been put to use in Wuhan.

In addition, we are working with our network of industry partners，to identify ways to accelerate development of new antivirals against COVID-19. We are also exploring how to repurpose some of our assets and capabilities to treat COVID-19 infection. We are in the early stages of this work but are moving as quickly as possible and will keep you informed.

The wellbeing of Takeda employees in China is critical. We have put in place a series of proactive measures to ensure they – and their families – are safe.

China is important to Takeda. Our commitment to China and Chinese patients remains, and our investments continue to reflect its significance to us.

We are confident that the resilience of China and its people will prevail, and you will emerge stronger than before.
I am committed to CDF 2020, and I’ll do my best to attend. On behalf of Takeda, we wish you the best and we will continue to support your efforts.

Wuhan jia-you! China jia-you!