Takeda, Virgin Pulse Team to ‘Challenge’ Hemophilia Patients into Adopting Healthy Lifestyles

To help promote healthy lifestyle changes, the pharmaceutical company Takeda has enrolled some 900 patients with bleeding disorders like hemophilia in the Virgin Pulse Global Challenge.

The annual well-being Global Challenge aims to equip teams of employees with the knowledge, tools and support necessary to enhance performance and establish practices that are beneficial to them and ultimately their employers.

But this year marks the first time Virgin Pulse has enrolled people  outside the workplace in a Global Challenge program.  Virgin Pulse’s technological designs are meant to cultivate good lifestyle habits — configured to complement each workplace culture — for companies’ employees.

“We’re very excited for the patients to embark on this exciting journey together during which they will learn how small lifestyle changes can help them manage their condition and improve their overall health,” Merve Erdogan, Takeda global brand lead, said in a press release.

The Virgin Pulse effort results from Takeda’s search for new ways to support and improve the lives of people with hemophilia and von Willebrand disease.

Specifically, the company approached Virgin Pulse, hoping to engage the global hematology community, promote patient-focused values, demonstrate support for individuals with rare bleeding disorders, and encourage long-term and positive behavior changes.

Each Takeda team will have as its captain a medical professional who will monitor members’ progress and address questions or concerns. Patients all over the world will be able to share their experience and generally support each other on their own Challenge community page.

Annually, hundreds of thousands of employees worldwide compete in seven-member teams in a 100-day, round-the-world virtual journey designed to gradually enhance participants’ physical and psychological health while boosting confidence and camaraderie. In the past three years, more than 1 million people have taken part.

The challenge is comprised of different modules that feature key areas — including physical activity, nutrition, sleep, and mental well-being — for leading healthy and active lifestyles. Participants begin by tracking their daily activity as they work toward taking more than 10,000 steps daily.

This current challenge began on Oct. 16 and will wind up in January, when Takeda will report results. Go here for more information about Virgin Pulse and its programs.

More than 3 million U.S. residents have rare bleeding disorders that prevent blood from clotting properly. The conditions can lead to prolonged bleeding after injury, surgery, or physical trauma.