Patients10^th Healthcare Café – A Platform for Dialogue with Patients and Their Families: Transfusion Therapy

The Healthcare Café is an initiative aimed at understanding patients’ genuine needs through dialogue with patients and their families. This initiative is a collaborative effort between Kyowa Kirin, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, and Daiichi Sankyo. The 10^th session, held in December 2025, was organized and managed by Kyowa Kirin. In this report, we provide the report on the event.

More than 100 participants attended the 10^th Healthcare Café in person, while over 600 viewers joined online. The session was moderated by Daisuke Shimmi, a researcher at Kyowa Kirin and the event’s leader. He began by reaffirming the purpose of the Healthcare Café:

“The goal of Healthcare Café is to understand patients’ true feelings and needs, and to use those voices to deliver valuable medicines as quickly as possible.”

This session focused on transfusion therapy. Yoshifumi Torii, Global Research Head at the time (currently Chief Medical Officer) at Kyowa Kirin, emphasized the importance of dialogue in his opening remarks:

“In February 2024, Kyowa Kirin identified three focus disease areas, one of which is intractable hematological diseases and hemato oncology. We are committed to advancing our research in this field. By engaging in discussions with a diverse range of individuals involved in transfusion therapy, we aim to enhance our understanding and apply the insights gained today to our research activities.”

Next, Rintaro Baba, a project member and researcher, explained the decision to make transfusion therapy the event’s theme. He shared data related to transfusion therapy and made the following remarks:

“Transfusion therapy is an established treatment for various hematologic diseases. However, there are still unmet needs and insights, such as the physical changes and the challenges associated with regular transfusions, that may not be fully understood by pharmaceutical companies. Through today’s discussion, we aim to enhance our understanding of transfusion therapy and the social challenges that accompany it, to create value beyond medicines.”

Actor Mr. Daigo Higuchi shared his personal experience of battling illness in a lecture titled “What I Learned from Fighting Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Myelodysplastic Syndrome, and How Transfusion Therapy Helped.” At the age of 25, while training for a career as an action star, he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and underwent chemotherapy.

After achieving remission within about one year, he experienced a relapse at age 27 and was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome. His physician informed him that chemotherapy would not be effective and that a bone marrow transplant would be necessary for survival. With no effective therapeutic drugs available, he spent the three years following discharge maintaining daily life while receiving transfusion therapy as needed.

“With very low levels of red blood cells, I would collapse from anemia. Without platelets, minor injuries wouldn’t stop bleeding. It was a situation where even a small injury could be life-threatening, but transfusion therapy helped me avoid that.”

In 2008, at age 30, his condition worsened rapidly, and a bone marrow transplant became urgent. Luckily, a donor was found through the bone marrow bank.

“The day of a bone marrow transplant is called your ‘second birthday.’ I became “17 years old” again. At 25, I thought my life was over, but 22 years later, I’m still here.”

Drawing on his experience, Mr. Higuchi produced the film Minna Ikiteiru: Futatsume no Tanjōbi (Everyone Is Living: My Second Birthday), released in 2023 and still being screened nationwide.

“My donor saved me, but I can’t express my gratitude directly. I hope this film reaches them. I also hope it gives courage and hope to those suffering right now, just as I once received, and that it helps save another life.”

He is now actively promoting blood donation awareness.

“I was healthy until 25, but I never donated blood. Now I wish I had. So many donors have saved me, and I want to help spread awareness in return.”

In addition to Mr. Higuchi, the panel discussion featured Dr. Kota Ohashi, the Director of Totus Homecare Clinic, Ms. Akiko Hashimoto, the Chief Director of NPO Tsubasa (a blood disorder information & support service), and Rintaro Baba of Kyowa Kirin. They discussed the theme of “Benefits of Transfusion Therapy and Current Initiatives.”

Mr. Higuchi, who has undergone both red blood cell and platelet transfusions, reflected on his condition before and after transfusion and shared the changes he experienced. According to Dr. Ohashi, a decrease in red blood cells due to hematologic disorders can affect not only physical symptoms, such as palpitations and dizziness, but also a patient’s mental state. Drawing on his own experience of developing myelodysplastic syndrome, Dr. Ohashi noted, “What I initially thought was depression turned out to be due to a drop in my hemoglobin levels.”

Mr. Higuchi also spoke about experiencing an allergic reaction to platelet transfusions. “While I am truly grateful for transfusions, the thought of going through that discomfort again made me tense up, causing my veins to constrict and making it more difficult to insert the needle,” he shared.

Supportive care encompasses treatments that do not directly target the underlying disease but instead help relieve symptoms and side effects related to the condition. Reflecting on the period following his relapse, when he was monitored during transfusion therapy, Mr. Higuchi said, “There hasn’t been a more mentally painful time for me than those three years.”

Dr. Ohashi commented on patients with low-risk myelodysplastic syndrome, like Mr. Higuchi:

“I believe many patients feel as though they have no treatment options and are simply waiting for their condition to worsen. When family or friends say things like, ‘You seem to be doing well since you have fewer hospital visits,’ patients often experience mixed emotions and a sense of isolation. Additionally, receiving transfusions can increase the awareness that they rely on others for survival. Some patients grapple with the thought that they can’t sustain themselves without this reliance on others. That’s why, during consultations, I make it a point to acknowledge and commend patients for getting through the past month.”

The discussion then shifted to the frequency of hospital visits required for transfusion therapy. The conversation expanded to include the burden not only on the patients but also on their family members who accompany them. This led to the understanding that balancing work and medical appointments is an issue that society as a whole needs to address.

In pharmacology, the term “toxicity” is often used to describe adverse effects, such as neurotoxicity. Dr. Ohashi highlighted that the time and economic burdens associated with transfusion therapy are significant challenges that can be referred to as “time toxicity” and “economic toxicity.” To address these issues, he is working to establish a system that allows patients across Japan to receive transfusions at home.

In response, Ms. Hashimoto commented, “When Dr. Ohashi first started home transfusions, I thought it was remarkable. I fully support his efforts. There are challenges, but I believe that if we move forward together, we can make this vision a reality.”

Mr. Higuchi shared that, after observing students actively participating in blood donation awareness activities at a high school where he was giving a talk, he realized that “without transfusions, I wouldn’t have made it to transplantation.” This realization inspired him to dedicate more effort to advocacy. Similarly, Ms. Hashimoto described the system of blood donation as a “culture,” highlighting that it is maintained through mutual support.

The panel discussion featured a lively, engaging exchange of perspectives. The audience’s questions and reflections indicated that all participants gained valuable insights from the event.

At the end of Part 1, Masato Mizutani, Head of Development Planning Department at the Development Division of Kyowa Kirin, delivered closing remarks, stating:

“Today, we have gained invaluable, lived insights from all of our distinguished speakers. Taking today’s discussion as a compass to guide us, we renew our commitment to stand in the shoes of patients and deliver medicines that are truly needed.”

The dialogue session was conducted in a more intimate setting, with participants divided into six groups, each joined by Mr. Higuchi, Dr. Ohashi, or Ms. Hashimoto. Within each group, participants shared personal experiences, posed questions to the speakers, and at times, the speakers in turn asked questions of the researchers from the three participating companies.

Below are some comments shared by participants:

“As I listened to the discussion, I was reminded of why I first chose to pursue a career in the pharmaceutical industry. It brought back a moment from my training as a pharmacy student in the hospital when I felt a strong desire to support not only patients but also those around the patients. This reflection made me want to reconnect with my original motivation and give my best all over again.”

“Dr. Ohashi mentioned wanting to take ‘one more step.’ I felt that not only doctors, but people in various professions can each take that extra step, and when combined, those efforts can become a much bigger step forward.”

“I’ve come to understand the importance of listening to patients’ genuine voices when identifying unmet medical needs. It can be challenging for a single company to access these voices, which is why there is significant value in collaboration among the three companies on this initiative.”

“Today, everyone shared their personal experiences, which gave me motivation for my research. Talking about oneself helps us understand each other, and I realized through this dialogue session that this cycle can lead to improved well-being.”

Reflecting on the dialogue session, moderator Shimmi remarked, “To be honest, I didn’t expect everyone to share such deeply personal and thoughtful reflections. I’m truly glad we held this session,” and brought the 10^th Healthcare Café to a close with the following remarks:

“We often tend to view situations primarily through medical and technical perspectives, concentrating on diseases and treatments. However, today we heard human stories that highlighted the daily challenges people face. I hope you carry this sense of discovery and empathy with you, and take moments to recall it in your everyday work.

The phrase ‘walking alongside patients’ may sound simple, but its true meaning is shaped by the accumulation of concrete experiences, like the ones we shared today. I encourage you to share what you’ve learned in your workplaces, and I look forward to hearing about the actions each of you has taken at the next Healthcare Café.”

Comments were also shared by the core members who helped organize the event. For more details, please refer to the article below.

Thanks to everyone’s cooperation, this Healthcare Café once again became a valuable forum for dialogue. Kyowa Kirin will continue to listen sincerely to patients’ voices and strive to deliver valuable medicines as quickly as possible.