Takeda Tells Employees to Work from Home

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. has advised its 50,000 global employees, including approximately 5,000 in Cambridge, MA, to work from home until further notice to avoid spreading the new coronavirus.

The company told employees in an e-mail that if they work in a lab or a manufacturing plant and can’t telecommute, they should limit workplace gatherings to no more than 10 people and keep at least six feet from one another.

Takeda also canceled all non-essential international and domestic business travel through May 31.

“As a global pharmaceutical leader, our top priority during this outbreak is to do all we can to protect the health of our employees, those who work alongside them, their families and our communities, while making sure our medicines and services continue to reach patients who rely on them,” according to a company statement.

Only one Takeda employee at a production plant in Belgium has been diagnosed with Covid-19, said Katie Joyce, a spokeswoman for Takeda’s US operations. He was diagnosed Thursday after he returned from a trip to Italy, Joyce said.

Takeda, based in Osaka, Japan, its biggest workforce is in the U.S., with approximately 18,000 employees.