Takeda China Launches Multiple Myeloma Awareness Initiative Featuring 'Smart Pill Box' Digital Toolkit and Educational Live Streams

Shanghai, March 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In observance of March as "International Myeloma Awareness Month," Takeda China supported the "Multiple Myeloma Care Initiative" by the China Primary Health Care Foundation, developing 1,800 units of the "Smart Pillbox" digital toolkit and distributing them all to patients to better facilitate standardized disease management for individuals with multiple myeloma. Additionally, Takeda China collaborated with non-profit organizations to launch a multiple myeloma care project, leveraging live online broadcasts to educate the public and patients about the disease, thereby enhancing disease awareness and helping patients improve their quality of life.

Awareness of Multiple Myeloma Still Needs to Be Popularized; Advocating for Patients to Adhere to Long-Term Standardized Treatment

Multiple myeloma is a malignant hematologic tumor caused by pathological changes in bone marrow plasma cells; it is incurable and prone to relapse.^[1] . This disease is more common in the elderly^[1], which can easily lead to symptoms such as bone marrow failure, bone destruction, hypercalcemia, anemia, infection, renal failure, and neurological disorders, thereby threatening patients' long-term survival. Data show that the incidence of multiple myeloma in China is approximately 1–2.5 per 100,000 population.^[2], surpassing acute leukemia to rank second among malignant tumors of the lymphatic and hematopoietic systems^[1]. However, public awareness of multiple myeloma remains generally low, and due to the insidious onset of the disease, most patients are already in advanced stages at the time of diagnosis.^[3], delaying the optimal timing for treatment.

Meanwhile, as multiple myeloma is a progressive malignancy characterized by relapse, patients require prompt initiation of treatment. Standardized therapy is a crucial approach to prolonging survival and improving prognosis. In particular, newly diagnosed patients often achieve better outcomes when they receive timely, effective, and standardized long-term treatment. For patients with relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma, combination therapy using agents with different mechanisms of action is currently the mainstay of clinical practice. However, due to the complex administration routes and varying treatment durations of multiple medications, many patients experience missed or incorrect doses, which compromises therapeutic efficacy and may even lead to discontinuation and abandonment of long-term therapy. Therefore, patients must prioritize standardized long-term disease management after discharge.

“Smart Pillbox” Digital Application Toolkit Helps Patients Achieve Standardized Disease Management

To gain a deeper understanding of the current status of disease treatment for patients with multiple myeloma in China and to track their diagnostic and therapeutic behaviors after hospital discharge, Takeda China has supported the China Primary Health Care Foundation in launching the “Standardized Management Program for Multiple Myeloma Patient Treatment” since 2019. This initiative aims to establish a more effective disease management platform between clinical experts and patients, enabling real-time supervision and management to help Chinese patients achieve long-term standardized treatment.

As a core component of the program, Takeda China has supported the China Primary Health Care Foundation this year to jointlyCooperation,Develop a "Smart Pillbox" toolkit, introducing innovative technology to aid in disease management. It can connect to smartphones via Bluetooth, allowing for personalized medication reminders and timely feedback on patient usage. The device also features an alarm function that alerts in case of abnormal use, enabling real-time reporting of the patient's treatment status to their attending physician and care specialist, thereby helping patients manage their medications correctly, effectively, and safely.Groundtreatment. Currently, the program will donate 1,800 “smart pillboxes” to patients across China.

Public Welfare Science Popularization Q&A Livestream: Providing Care for Multiple Myeloma Patients

During this special period, to meet the urgent needs of numerous multiple myeloma patients for online consultations and standardized disease management, Takeda China supported the China Cancer Foundation in launching the “Grateful for You, Yi Lu Sui Xing – MM” campaign in March.^[4]"Special Program for Myeloma Care Month in the Live Streaming Room"; simultaneously supporting the China Primary Health Care Foundation and the Chinese Society of Hematology, in collaboration with AliHealth, to jointly launch the "'Epi’“Walking Together – Online Q&A for Blood Disease Patients” Public Welfare Project invites experts from across China to address questions and concerns of multiple myeloma patients and their families through live online streaming platforms, while also enhancing public awareness of the disease via online science popularization. To date, the two initiatives have collectively hosted over 40 live online sessions, with an estimated reach of more than 450,000 individuals.

“Currently, the diagnosis and treatment of multiple myeloma in China have made significant progress, gradually aligning with international standards. However, patients need to receive standardized and individualized treatment to achieve longer survival and better quality of life.” Director of the Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University、Professor Wu Depei, Chairman of the Hematology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, pointed out, “How to help patients continue to achieve standardized disease management during the pandemic has been an unprecedented challenge for us. Therefore, we hope to strengthen public understanding of diseases through innovative online science popularization live broadcasts via multi-party collaboration, while also enhancing patients’ awareness and self-management capabilities regarding their conditions. This will be of great significance in promoting standardized treatment.”

Mr. Shan Guohong, President of Takeda China, stated：“Takeda has been deeply engaged in the field of hematologic oncology for many years, possessing extensive industry experience and robust R&D innovation capabilities. Since launching its second-generation oral proteasome inhibitor in China in 2018, Takeda has helped more than 8,000 patients with multiple myeloma achieve long-term disease management. Upholding the ‘patient-first’ philosophy, we will continue to strengthen public awareness of the disease through multi-party collaboration, jointly promote standardized management of multiple myeloma, and help patients regain healthy lives and a brighter future.””

[1] Chinese Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Multiple Myeloma (2017 Revision). Chinese Journal of Internal Medicine. 2017;56(11): 866-870

[2] Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Multiple Myeloma (v1.2019). 2018;25(5):855-859

[3] Incidence of multiple myeloma and characteristics of the Chinese population. Chinese Journal of Practical Internal Medicine. 2006;26(12):886-888.

[4] MM is the abbreviation for multiple myeloma.