NORTHBROOK, Ill., May 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- This year, Astellas commemorates its 10^th anniversary by saluting a decade of milestones in patient health, volunteerism and scientific breakthroughs. To celebrate these milestones, Astellas is reinforcing its commitment to the community by launching a variety of volunteer activities in the U.S., Canada and Brazil in 2015 as part of its global Changing Tomorrow Day initiative.

"Astellas demonstrates its commitment to the health of patients in the Americas every day through innovative products, patient advocacy, improving access to medicine, and through our employees' passion for community and philanthropic support," said Astellas US LLC President and CEO Masao Yoshida. "Looking ahead, we will continue to support science that assists patients and find impactful ways to make a difference in communities through volunteerism."

Astellas employees in the Americas volunteered 61,000 hours of service to the community and donated $1 million to charitable organizations through the Company's StarGIVING program over the last 10 years. Building on this momentum, Astellas employees are pledging to contribute 10,000 volunteer hours between May 2015 and March 2016.

In the U.S., employees are taking part in various volunteer activities, including restoring a park, supporting food banks and preparing meals for children in pediatric hospitals. In Canada, Astellas employees are renovating a summer camp near its Toronto headquarters for pediatric cancer patients. Astellas employees in Brazil will engage in volunteer initiatives focused on patient care in Sao Paulo and its surrounding communities. 

About Astellas CSR

Astellas is committed to striving toward sustainable enhancement of enterprise value while remaining acutely aware of its social responsibilities. Since the healthy development of society is a prerequisite for the sustainable growth of the company, Astellas uses this approach as a cornerstone for all of its corporate activities.

About Astellas

Astellas US LLC, the Americas regional business of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc., is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceuticals. For more information on Astellas, please visit our website at www.astellas.us, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AstellasUS or like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AstellasUS.

Since the Company's inception in 2005, Astellas increased its employee base by approximately 60 percent in the Americas. Additionally, Astellas established new headquarters for the Americas in Northbrook, Illinois, as well as regional headquarters in Toronto, Canada and Sao Paulo, Brazil. In addition to Brazil, Astellas has products distributed in 22 countries in Latin America.

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SOURCE Astellas