According to the World Bank, poverty is a major cause of ill health and a barrier to accessing health care when needed. People living in poverty cannot afford to buy items and services that are needed for good health. Other factors related to poverty which impact health include the lack of information on appropriate health-promoting practices, and lack of understanding of how to make available services work for them. Ill health, in turn, is a major cause of poverty, when the majority of available income is spent on the cost of seeking healthcare. (Poverty and Health (worldbank.org))

Astellas’ social contribution seeks to improve access to healthcare solutions for people living in poverty in the communities where Astellas has a footprint. While poverty is broadly defined as living on less than US$2.15 per day (or US$3.65 in LMICs/ US$6.85 in UMICs), Astellas will consider supporting people above these thresholds, who don’t have sufficient income/funds available to pay for necessary health care solutions.