Takeda Pharmaceutical Company (TAK) Risk Factors

We are subject to governmental regulations mandating price controls in various countries in which we operate. The growth of overall healthcare costs as a percentage of gross domestic product in many countries means that governments and consumers are under intense pressure to control spending even more tightly. See Item 4. Information on the Company-B. Business Overview-Third Party Reimbursement and Pricing. In the U.S., there has been increasing pricing pressure from managed care groups and institutional and governmental purchasers. As managed care groups have grown in size due to market consolidation, pharmaceutical companies have faced increased pressure in pricing and usage negotiations, and there is fierce competition among pharmaceutical companies to have their products included in the care providers' formularies. Moreover, as a result of the legislative and regulatory environment, in the U.S. we continue to experience heightened pricing pressure on, and limitations on access to, our branded pharmaceutical products sold in the U.S. There has been increasing attention paid to the level of pricing of pharmaceutical products by policymakers and stakeholders, which could lead to political pressure or legislative, regulatory or other efforts to introduce lower prices, and change how the pharmaceutical supply chain could operate. In addition, there are efforts by the federal government to reduce spending on the Medicare and Medicaid programs, expand the Affordable Care Act, and lower the overall spending by the government on prescription medicines. The future of U.S. healthcare legislation, as well as the potential impact of any new legislation, is uncertain, but we expect the health care industry in the U.S. will continue to be subject to increased pricing and spending pressure, including from regulation and political and legal action. In Japan, manufacturers of pharmaceutical products must have new products listed on the National Health Insurance (the "NHI"), a price list published by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan (the "MHLW"). The NHI price list provides rates for calculating the price of pharmaceutical products used in medical services provided under various public medical care insurance systems. Prices on the NHI price list have been previously subject to revisions based on the actual prices at which the pharmaceutical products are purchased by medical institutions in Japan after discounts and rebates from the listed price, and the average price of previously listed products generally decreases as a result of these price revisions. The Japanese government is currently undertaking healthcare reform initiatives with the goal of sustaining the universal coverage of the NHI program. As part of these initiatives, the annual NHI price list revision was introduced in April 2021, which could lead to more frequent downward price revisions. The government is also addressing the efficient use of drugs, including the further promotion of generic use that slightly falls short of a target of 80% penetration by volume by September 2020 with respect to products for which market exclusivity has expired. In addition, a cost-effectiveness evaluation has been officially introduced by the MHLW since April 2019. Products on the NHI price list nominated based on pre-defined criteria, such as the innovativeness and the financial impact, will be subject to review, and subject to price adjustments depending on the outcome of this review. In Europe, as in the U.S., drug prices have been subject to downward pressure due to measures implemented in each country to control drug costs, and prices continue to come under pressure due to parallel imports, generic competition, increasing use of health technology assessment based upon cost-effectiveness and other factors. European pricing and reimbursement authorities have also intensified efforts to increase transparency of prices as well as exchange of information among the various European pricing authorities in order to raise pressure towards the industry. This pricing debate has impacted the overall political climate in Europe and has triggered a European policy initiative to review the pharmaceutical industry's intellectual property incentives with a particular emphasis on orphan drugs. Any new legislation in this area would take at least two to three years to be adopted but could have significant impact on our business model. We are also facing similar pricing pressures in other regions, such as various emerging countries including China. We expect such pricing pressures to continue as we expand our business in those regions and countries. We expect these efforts to control costs to continue as healthcare payers around the globe, in particular government-controlled health authorities, publicly funded or subsidized health programs, insurance companies and managed care organizations (the "MCOs"), increasingly pursue initiatives to reduce the overall cost of healthcare, restrict access to higher-priced new medicines, increase the use of generics and impose overall price revisions. Such further implementation of these policies could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are subject to laws and regulations globally regarding privacy, data protection, and data security, including those related to the collection, storage, handling, use, disclosure, transfer, and security of personal data. Significant uncertainty exists as privacy and data protection laws may be interpreted and applied differently from country to country and may create inconsistent or conflicting requirements. For example, the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (the "GDPR") imposes significant data protection obligations on companies regarding the handling of personal data and provides individuals with heightened privacy rights. Since GDPR became effective on May 25, 2018, other countries have enacted or are in the process of drafting GDPR style laws, such as California and other states in the U.S., Canada, India, Japan and Singapore. The EU is also moving towards higher restrictions and obligations regarding the transfer of personal data outside the EU on account of a major Court of Justice of the European Union ruling in July 2020 (Schrems II). Moreover, significant regulatory fines may be imposed on us for violation of these laws, particularly in the case of the GDPR, which are set at a maximum of the higher of 20 million EUR or 4% of annual global turnover for the most serious breaches. The increased use of digital technologies involving personal data, such as mobile health apps, wearables, digitalization of clinical trials or artificial intelligence tools deployed on personal data pose additional risks for our company both in terms of the larger volume of personal data we handle but also in terms of potential security threats of such technology and our ability to assess the deployment of each technology because of the sheer volume and speed at which they are being developed. Compliance with existing, proposed and recently enacted laws (including implementation of the privacy and process enhancements called for under the GDPR) and regulations can be costly; any failure to comply with these regulatory standards could subject us to legal and reputational risks. Misuse of or failure to secure personal information could also result in violation of data privacy laws and regulations, legal proceedings against us by governmental entities or others or damage to our reputation and credibility and could also have a negative impact on our results of operations.

Our ability to offset the effects of losses of exclusivity in our existing products and to continue to grow our business depends significantly on the success of our research and development activities in identifying, developing and successfully commercializing new products in a timely and cost-effective manner. To accomplish this, we commit substantial efforts, funds and other resources to research and development, both in-house and through collaborations with third parties. However, these research and development programs are expensive and involve intensive preclinical evaluation and clinical trials in connection with a highly complex and lengthy regulatory approval process. We discuss regulatory considerations below under "-If we fail to comply with government regulations over product development, regulatory approvals and reimbursement requirements, our business could be adversely affected." The research and development process for a new biopharmaceutical product also requires us to attract and retain sufficient numbers of highly-skilled employees and can often take more than ten years from discovery to commercial launch. Even if we successfully develop and bring to market new products, there is only a limited available patent life in which to recoup these development costs. During each stage of the approval process and post-approval life cycle of our products, there is a substantial risk that we will encounter serious obstacles, including unfavorable results or indications of safety concerns regarding a new compound; difficulty or delays in enrolling patients or administering in clinical trials; delays in completing formulation and other testing and work necessary to support an application for regulatory approval; insufficient clinical trial data to support the safety or efficacy of the product candidate; failure to bring a product to market prior to a competitor, or to develop a product sufficiently differentiated from a competing product to achieve significant market share; difficulty in obtaining reimbursement at satisfactory rates for our approved products from governments and insurers; difficulty in obtaining regulatory approval for additional indications; failure to enter into or implement successful alliances for the development and/or commercialization of products or the inability to manufacture sufficient quantities of a product candidate for development or commercialization activities in a timely or cost-efficient manner. Moreover, the degree of market acceptance of any approved product candidate by the medical community, including physicians, healthcare professionals and patients, will depend on a number of factors, including relative convenience and ease of administration, the prevalence and severity of any adverse reactions, availability of alternative treatments, pricing and our sales and marketing strategy. Activities described above become more difficult during pandemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which may result in more serious obstacles to advance research and development efforts. In addition, to the extent that new regulations raise the costs of obtaining and maintaining product authorizations or limit the economic value of a new product to its originator, our profitability and growth prospects could be diminished. Development of new and innovative products can also require the use of emerging platforms and technologies for which regulations either do not yet exist or are under development or modification. This may lead to greater uncertainty and risk in establishing the necessary data for approvals to conduct clinical trials and/or receiving marketing approvals. As a result of the foregoing or other factors, we may decide to abandon the development of potential pipeline products in which we have invested significant resources, even where the product is in the late stages of development. Moreover, there can also be no assurance that we will be successful in bringing new products to market, marketing them, achieving sufficient acceptance thereof and recouping our investments in their development. For example, our pipeline compounds may not receive regulatory approval, become commercially successful or achieve satisfactory rates of reimbursement. Additionally, products approved for use and successfully marketed in one market may be unable to obtain regulatory approval, become commercially successful or achieve satisfactory rates of reimbursement in other markets. As a result, we may be unable to earn returns on investments that we originally anticipated or at all, or may be forced to revise our research and development strategy, and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

We are subject to the risk of infringement claims directed at us by third parties, even if we do not knowingly infringe on any valid third-party intellectual property rights. Although we monitor our operations to prevent infringement on the intellectual property rights of third parties, if we are found to have infringed the intellectual property rights of others or if we agree to settle infringement claims, we may be required to recall the relevant products, terminate manufacturing and sales of such products, pay significant damages or pay significant royalties. We evaluate any such infringement claims to assess the likelihood of unfavorable outcomes and to estimate, if possible, the amount of potential losses. Based on these assessments and estimates, and in keeping with applicable accounting and disclosure standards, we establish reserves and/or disclose the relevant litigation claims or decide not to establish reserves or disclose litigation claims. These assessments and estimates are based on the information available to our management at such time and involve a significant amount of management judgment. Actual outcomes or losses may differ materially from those envisioned by our current assessments and estimates. Although the parties to such patent and intellectual property disputes in the pharmaceutical industry have often settled through licensing or similar arrangements, the costs associated with these arrangements may be substantial and could include the payment of ongoing royalties. Furthermore, the necessary licenses may not be available on acceptable terms or at all. Therefore, if we are unable to successfully defend against infringement claims by third parties, our financial results could be materially and adversely affected.

The manufacture of our products is technically complex and highly regulated, and as a result we may experience difficulties or delays including but not limited to seizure or recalls of products or shut-downs of manufacturing plants; problems with business continuity, including as a result of a natural or man-made disaster, at one of our facilities or at a critical supplier or vendor; failure by us or by any of our vendors or suppliers to comply with the Good Manufacturing Practice (the "GMP") and other applicable regulations and quality assurance guidelines, which could lead to manufacturing shutdowns, product shortages, delays in product manufacturing and /or administrative, enforcement or other actions by regulatory authorities if regulatory authorities deem our products to be adulterated or otherwise in violation of applicable laws; problems with manufacturing, quality assurance/quality control or supply, or governmental approval delays, due to our consolidation and rationalization of manufacturing facilities and the sale or closure of certain sites; failure of a sole source or single source supplier to provide us with necessary raw materials, supplies or finished goods for an extended period of time, which could impact continuous supply; failure of a third-party manufacturer to supply us with semi-finished or finished products on time; construction or regulatory approval delays related to new facilities or the expansion of existing facilities; the inability to obtain sufficient components or raw materials on a timely basis or at a cost-effective price due to public health crises, medical epidemics or pandemics such as the COVID-19 pandemic; additional costs related to deficiencies identified by regulatory agencies in connection with inspections of our facilities, and enforcement, remedial or punitive actions by regulatory authorities if we fail to remedy any deficiencies; and other manufacturing or distribution problems including limits to manufacturing capacity due to regulatory requirements (e.g. Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals ("REACH") regulation in the EU), changes in the types of products produced, physical limitations or other business interruptions that could impact continuous supply. In addition, despite efforts at compliance, from time to time we or our partners may receive notices of manufacturing, quality-related, or other observations following inspections by regulatory authorities around the world, as well as official agency correspondence regarding compliance. For example, on June 9, 2020 the FDA issued a warning letter related to our manufacturing plant in Hikari, Yamaguchi, Japan which included several technical observations, including observations about procedures, personnel, records, investigations, training, equipment, and oversight. We responded to the warning letter within the required timeframe and the Hikari plant is currently working under the comprehensive corrective action/preventative action plan. The issues raised as part of the inspection are being addressed within the context of those activities. The corrective actions resulted in a temporary supply shortage of Leuprorelin, a product which we supply to AbbVie, Inc. ("AbbVie") pursuant to a supply agreement. AbbVie has since filed a lawsuit against us on November 6, 2020 specifying an alleged breach of contract. We or our partners may receive additional or similar observations, correspondence and claims in the future, whether regarding the Hikari plant or otherwise. If we are unable to resolve these observations and address regulator concerns and claims from partners in a timely fashion, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially affected. See "-We are involved in litigation relating to our operations on an ongoing basis, and such litigation could result in financial losses or harm our business" for further discussion on risks associated with litigation and lawsuits relating to our operations. The development and manufacture of biologics and stem cell therapies present heightened or additional risks. The manufacture of biologics, including stem cell products, is highly complex and is characterized by inherent risks and challenges, such as raw material inconsistencies, logistical and sourcing challenges, significant quality control and assurance requirements, manufacturing complexity (including heightened regulatory requirements) and significant manual processing. Unlike products that rely on chemicals for efficacy, such as most pharmaceuticals, biologics are difficult to characterize due to the inherent variability of biological input materials. As a result, assays of the finished product may not be sufficient to ensure that the product will perform in the intended manner. Problems with the manufacturing process, even minor deviations from the normal process, could result in product defects or manufacturing failures that result in, among other things, lot failures, product recalls, product liability claims or insufficient inventory, which could be costly to us or result in reputational damage. Furthermore, sourcing and transportation of plasma and production and distribution of plasma-derived products is complex, capital intensive and subject to extensive regulation. Efforts to increase the collection of plasma may require strengthening acquisition and third-party contracting capacities and successful regulatory approval of additional plasma collection facilities and plasma fractionation facilitates. Further development of such capacities and facilities involve a lengthy regulatory process and is highly capital intensive. In addition, access to and transport and use of plasma may be subject to restrictions by governmental agencies. If we are unable to manage these inherent risks and challenges, we may lose market share or customer confidence, be required to record charges related to idle capacity or impairment on facilities or take other actions which could materially and adversely affect the Plasma-Derived Therapies business. Any of the above may reduce sales, delay the launch of new products, and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We commonly use suppliers, vendors and partners, including alliances with other pharmaceutical companies, for certain key aspects of our business, including manufacturing and commercialization of products, support for information technology systems and certain human resource functions. We do not control these partners, but we depend on them in ways that may be significant to us. If these parties fail to meet our expectations or fulfill their obligations to us, we may fail to receive the expected benefits. In addition, if any of these third parties fails to comply with applicable laws and regulations in the course of its performance of services for us, there is a risk that we may be held responsible for such violations as well. This risk is particularly serious in emerging markets, where corruption is often prevalent and where many of the third parties on which we rely do not have internal compliance resources comparable to our own. Any such failures by third parties, in emerging markets or elsewhere, could adversely affect our business, reputation, financial condition or results of operations.

A significant portion of our global sales are made to a relatively small number of wholesale distributors, retail chains and other purchasing groups. In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021, there were two wholesale distributors, AmerisourceBergen Corporation and McKesson Corporation, that each individually accounted for over ten percent of Takeda's total revenue. If one of our significant wholesale distributors encounters financial or other difficulties, such a distributor may decrease the amount of business that it does with us, and we may be unable to collect the amounts that the distributor owes us on a timely basis or at all. Furthermore, the concentration of wholesale distributors has been increasing through mergers and acquisitions. In addition to increased credit risks, this has resulted in such distributors gaining additional purchasing leverage, which may increase pricing pressure on our products. Such credit concentration risks and pricing pressure could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are exposed to both physical and transition risks (financial and regulatory driven risks) associated with climate change. In recent years, extreme weather events and changing weather patterns such as storms, flooding, droughts and temperature changes have become more common. As a result, we are potentially exposed to various natural disasters or extreme weather risks such as hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts or floods, typhoons, tidal waves, wildfires or other events that may result from the impact of climate change on the environment. Climate change may also result in new or more stringent regulatory requirements globally. Climate related regulations may require companies to accelerate and/or increase investment in technology to reduce energy consumption, water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions beyond current plans. Climate related regulations could also lead to mandatory carbon pricing or climate risk disclosures. The net impact of these climate related transition risks could increase our operational expenses or that of our suppliers. In addition, Japan, the U.S. and other regions in the world where we operate are subject to the risk of natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis and/or volcanic eruptions. Other events outside our control, such as war, civil or political unrest, deliberate acts of sabotage, terrorism or industrial accidents such as fire and explosion, whether due to human or equipment error, could damage, cause operational interruptions, or otherwise adversely affect certain of our manufacturing or other facilities as well as potentially cause injury or death to our personnel. In the event of a major natural disaster or other uncontrollable event or accident, our facilities, particularly our production plants, may experience catastrophic loss, operations at such facilities may be halted, shipments of products may be suspended or delayed and large losses and expenses to repair or replace facilities may be incurred. Such negative consequences could cause product shortages, significant losses of sales or require significant unexpected expenditures, and materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, our business may also be adversely affected if our suppliers or business partners were to experience a catastrophic loss due to natural disasters, terrorism, accidents or other uncontrollable events. Although we purchase comprehensive global insurance to cover property damage and consequent business interruption for certain potential losses at sites owned by us and at certain critical supplier sites, we do not maintain insurance policies to cover all potential losses and therefore our insurance policies may not be adequate to cover all possible losses and expenses. For instance, we do not maintain earthquake insurance in Japan.

Cash dividends, if any, in respect of the shares of our common stock represented by our ADSs will be paid to the depositary in Japanese yen and then converted by the depositary into U.S. dollars, subject to certain conditions. Accordingly, fluctuations in the exchange rate between the Japanese yen and the U.S. dollar will affect, among other things, the U.S. dollar amounts a holder of ADSs will receive from the depositary in respect of dividends, the U.S. dollar value of the proceeds that a holder of ADSs would receive upon sale in Japan of the shares of our common stock obtained upon surrender of ADSs and the secondary market price of ADSs.