Takeda Aims To Raise $500,000 for Team Challenge for Crohn's & Colitis

Deerfield, Ill., July 15, 2016 - Some will be walking and others will be running but all will have smiles on their faces as more than 100 employees of Takeda Pharmaceuticals cross the finish line of the Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon on July 17 to help raise awareness and understanding of inflammatory bowel diseases, conditions that affect more than 1.6 million people in the U.S.

Takeda employees are participating in the half marathon as part of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America’s (CCFA) Team Challenge endurance training and fundraising program. CCFA is one of the national charity partners for the Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon. Takeda Pharmaceuticals has been involved with the event for five years, said Stephanie Brown, Vice President, Specialty Business Unit, Takeda Pharmaceuticals.

Takeda offers its employees a chance to participate in the event if they commit to raising at least $1,000 for CCFA. Employee interest in this event has steadily grown over the years, Brown explains, with 110 Takeda employees traveling to Napa this weekend to run, walk and jog over the 13.1 mile course or participate in the 5K event. CCFA expects hundreds of participants in the popular half marathon event. Last year, more than 600 Team Challenge runners and walkers from across the country crossed the picturesque finish line and raised millions to support groundbreaking research of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

The company and its employees expect to raise nearly $500,000 for CCFA, which will use the monies to further its mission of finding cures and improving the quality of life for patients living with IBD.