Privacy Policy | Astellas Pharma US, Inc.

Privacy Statement-Intended for US Audiences Only

Effective Date: June 2024

Astellas is committed to being transparent about the ways in which we collect and process your information. This privacy statement (“Privacy Statement”) describes our practices for handling the information we collect about you through our operations and services that include an authorized link to or reference to this Privacy Statement (“Services”). The Services include our websites and mobile apps that link to this Privacy Statement. This Privacy Statement applies to United States audiences only; if you are outside of the United States, please visit the applicable privacy statement here.

When this policy refers to ourselves as “we," “our”, or "Astellas US," it means Astellas Pharma US, Inc. and all of its affiliate companies located in the United States. This Privacy Policy applies to your access to and use of all Astellas US services, which we refer to collectively as the “Services”, including all mobile applications, websites and devices.

This Privacy Statement applies only to information we collect through the Services. Astellas sometimes acts as a business associate of covered entities that are subject to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, as amended, and its implementing regulations (collectively, HIPAA). This Privacy Statement does not apply to information about you that is received by Astellas when Astellas is acting as a business associate. Instead, you should review the HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices provided by the applicable covered entity.

Astellas does not “sell” or “share” for cross-contextual behavioral advertising (as those terms are defined under applicable local law) the categories of personal data described below. We do not use or disclose sensitive personal data for purposes other than permitted under applicable local law.

1. Information We Collect

Depending on your relationship to Astellas, we may collect the following categories of information:

Identifiers, such as your name, contact information, and online identifiers.
Professional information and educational information, such as information about your medical specialty.
Demographic information, such as gender and marital status.
Medical, health, and biometric information, such as medical condition and biological characteristics.
Internet and electronic network activity information, such as your IP address and information about your interaction with our online Services.
Geolocation information.
Audio, electronic, and visual information, such as identifiable photographs and video.
Correspondence you send to us.

From time to time, we may use or augment Personal Information about you with information obtained from third parties. For example, we may use third-party information to confirm contact or financial information, to verify your coverage eligibility for an Astellas US program.
In some cases, you will provide Personal Information to us in connection with your use of the Services, and in other cases, we may collect this information automatically when you visit or interact with the site, the apps, or other aspects of the Services.

2. How Do We Collect Information?

We collect information directly from you, such as when you provide information to our Services, whether electronically, by calling us, through other means, or when you authorize others to provide it to us.
We collect information about you through tracking tools and when we observe other information about you. See “Cookies and Similar Technologies” for more information.
Third parties may also share information about you with us. For example, our research partners and other partners may give us information. We may receive information from commercial sources such as companies that maintain information about health care providers and their specialties. We may aggregate or de-identify the information described above. Aggregated or de-identified data is not subject to this Privacy Statement.
In connection with the Services we provide to you, we may enable you to share information with us using digital equipment that we provide to you that assists you in tracking changes in your health and supplies that information automatically to intermediaries connected with Astellas. Examples of Personal Information that we may receive from these devices include your heart rate, blood pressure readings, weight, and recordings of heart sounds. You can find more information about these devices in our Terms of Use.

3. How We Use Information

We use and otherwise process each of the categories of information identified above for the following business purposes:

To provide you with the information, products and services that you request from us. This includes contacting you regarding such products and Services, such as to communicate information on the proper use of our products, and to provide, collect, review, and communicate information on the quality, safety, or effectiveness of our products.
To operate our business. We also may use your information to administer our services, including vendor management, troubleshooting, data analytics, testing, research, and statistical and survey activities.
For research and development of our products, including scientific, business, and market research.
To make suggestions and recommendations to you about products or Services that are similar to those you have enquired about or may otherwise be of interest to you, or to send you promotional materials from us or by our affiliates and trusted business partners.
To improve our Services, products, and technology, including to ensure that content is presented in the most relevant and effective matter for you and for your devices[ and to train our artificial intelligence and machine learning models].
Process job applications and administer the employment relationship.
To keep our Services, business and users safe and secure, and to protect the rights and Services of others. To comply with applicable legal and regulatory obligations, and to protect or exercise our legal rights or defend against legal claims. This includes using your information to comply with regulatory requirements relating to the safety and efficacy of our products.
De-identified data. We may de-identify the user submissions that you share with us, including any Personal Information, or otherwise process them so that they are no longer attributable to you without additional information (“De-identified Data”). We may use that De-identified Data without restriction in any way allowed by law. For example, we might use De-identified Data to understand, evaluate, or modify the Services, to generate statistical information about the Services that we share with our customers and other third parties who are evaluating, analyzing, accrediting, or researching our programs, or for our other business purposes. When an applicable law requires that we use a particular method of de-identifying data or rendering it no longer attributable to you, we will comply with that law. Otherwise, we may use a method that is appropriate under the circumstances and would not reasonably identify you.

4. How Long Do We Retain Information?

Astellas will retain information we collect as long as there is a business need for the information and applicable regulatory requirements are met.

Health Care Provider (HCP) payment and/or license information may be kept for as long as eleven (11) years.
Data Subject Request information may be kept for six (6) years.
Records of Community and/or charitable giving that may be retained up to 11 years.
Product-related information, including customer and HCP inquiries and responses may be retained up to 6 years.
Records related to patient engagement which includes audio, video and written recordings, and patient documentation may be kept as long as 6 years.
Records relating to grants, sponsorships, and other support provided by the Company to organizations for the purposes of supporting research, science, technology, or medicine, or for the purposes of educating healthcare professionals, patients, or the public on science or healthcare topics may be kept for as long as 10 years.
Records related to HCP speaker events and meetings may be retained up to 5 years.
Patient Assistance records may be kept as long as 5 years.
Sometimes business and legal requirements oblige us to retain certain information, for specific purposes, for an extended period of time. For example, for compliance, security and government investigations, we’ll retain this data for longer periods of time as required by regulatory authorities.
We may aggregate or de-identify the information described above. Aggregated or de-identified data is not subject to this Privacy Statement

5. How We Share Your Personal Information

We may share the personal information we collect with certain third parties.

Regulatory requirements. We may use your information in submitting reports or other materials to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. We may also use information you provide regarding your experience with any of our products to contact your healthcare professional regarding an unexpected event involving the use of any of our products.
Research purposes. We may share your information in connection with research and development, and in ensuring and promoting the safety and efficacy of our products.
Other third parties. We share your information with various service providers, contractors, agents, or partners in connection with business services they are providing with or on behalf of Astellas US. Examples of such third parties include individuals and companies that develop, host or maintain our websites, or online resources, devices, or those that provide customer service support activities. We also may share your information with third parties with whom Astellas US is jointly marketing a product or service or jointly conducting a program or activity.
Corporate affiliates. We may share your information with our corporate affiliates.
Business transfers. We may share personal information in connection with a transaction involving all or part of our assets. For example, if all or part of Astellas is sold or merged into another entity, the information we have about you may be transferred to a third party as part of that transaction. We may also share your information in the unlikely event of bankruptcy.
Legal purposes. We may disclose information to respond to legal process (such as a search warrant, subpoena, or court order), law enforcement requests, legal claims, or government inquiries. We may disclose information to protect and defend our rights or property, and to address security situations or emergencies when safety is at risk.
With your consent. We may share information for any other purposes disclosed to you at the time we collect the information or pursuant to your consent.

6. Cookies and Similar Technologies

When you use our Services, we and our third party partners use cookies, pixel tags, local storage, local shared objects, and other similar technologies (collectively, “cookies”) to collect information about your browser or device. By using the Services, you consent to our use of cookies and similar technologies.
The following types of cookies are used on our Services:

Cookies. Cookies enable us to recognize when a computer being used to browse our website has previously visited an Astellas US website. Cookies can also be used to enable a website to ‘remember’ the information a visitor has previously inputted, should that visitor so choose. Cookies may be placed on your computer both by us and by third parties with whom we have a relationship, such as web analytic services and advertising network services. For example, we use Google Analytics, and other analytical/performance cookies to help improve the way our website works.
Web beacons. On certain web pages or in e-mails we send to you, we may utilize a technology called a “web beacon” (also known as an “action tag” or “clear GIF technology”). We may use web beacons, for example, to help determine which email messages sent by us were opened and whether a message was acted upon. Web beacons also help analyze the effectiveness of websites by measuring, for example, the number of visitors to a website or how many visitors clicked on key elements of a website.
Social media plugins. The Services may use social plugins (e.g., the Facebook “Like” button) to enable you to post or easily share information with others. When you visit our website, the operator of the social plugin may be able to place a cookie on your computer, enabling that operator to recognize individuals who have previously visited our website. If you are logged into the associated social media website (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, discussion boards, blogs, wikis,) while browsing on our website, the social plugin allows that social media website to receive information that you have visited our website. The social plugin may also allow the social media website to share information about your activities on our website with other users of their social media website. For more information about the information shared via a particular social media plugin, you should refer to that social media site’s privacy statement.
Other technologies. There are other local storage and Internet technologies, such as local shared objects (also referred to as “Flash cookies”) and HTML5 local storage, that operate similarly to the cookies discussed above. We also may collect mobile advertising IDs and similar device identifiers to collect your information.

You may be able to refuse or disable cookies by adjusting your web browser settings. Some browsers have options that allow the visitor to control whether the browser will accept cookies, reject cookies, or notify the visitor each time a cookie is sent. Because each web browser is different, please consult the instructions provided by your web browser (typically in the “help” section). Please note that you may need to take additional steps to refuse or disable certain types of tracking technologies, such as local shared objects. For example, local shared objects can be controlled through the instructions on Adobe’s Setting Manager page. If you choose to refuse, disable, or delete these technologies, some of the functionality of the Services may no longer be available to you and any differences in service are related to the data. Deleting cookies may in some cases cancel the opt out selection in your browser.

Some of our third-party partners are members of the Network Advertising Initiative, which offers a single location to opt out of ad targeting from member companies. To learn more, please click here or here. For additional information on how Google processes your information and what choices you may have, visit their site here. Due to differences between websites and mobile apps, you may need to take additional steps to opt out of interest based advertising for mobile applications. Please check your device settings and mobile app permissions for additional information on how to opt out.You also may stop further data collection from a mobile application by removing it from your mobile device.

Do-Not-Track Signals and Similar Mechanisms. Certain web browsers and other programs may be used to signal your preferences to Astellas US about how or whether Astellas US or third parties may collect information about your online activities.

7. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on where you live, you may have certain rights under applicable laws, including, but not limited to:

The right to access your personal information;
The right to correct inaccurate personal information;
The right to limit how your sensitive personal information is collected, used and disclosed; and,
The right request the deletion of certain personal information.

If you would like to access or delete your information, or otherwise exercise your rights, please contact us as set out in the Contact Us section below. We will respond in a manner that is appropriate in light of relevant laws. For example, we cannot provide you access to your personal information if we cannot verify your identity, and we may request further information from you to verify your request, such as, where necessary, copies of government-issued identification.

8. Rights of California Residents.

We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights and choices, except where required or permitted by law. If you would like to use an authorized agent to exercise your rights, we may request evidence that the agent otherwise has valid written authority to submit requests to exercise rights on your behalf.

You also may have the right to be informed as to the categories of personal information that we have collected and shared or otherwise made accessible to third parties during the preceding 12 months. We provide that information through the other sections of this Privacy Statement. We share your information as described in this Privacy Statement, but we do not, and will not without consent, sell your information to third parties for money or other similar types of consideration.

In addition to other rights California residents may have under state law, California Civil Code Section 1798.83 permits California residents to request certain information regarding our disclosure of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. To make such a request, please contact us as set out in the Contact Us section below. Be sure to include your name and address; you can include your email address if you want to receive a response by email. Otherwise, we will respond by postal mail within the time required by law.
The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) provides California residents with specific rights to delete or request access to certain types of data, and businesses that process these requests must publish information about them. That information for California residents for the period specified is below.
California Consumer Requests for January – December 2023
Access Requests
Total number of Access Requests Received 0
Deletion Requests
Total number of Deletion Requests Received 0

9. Transfer of Information Across International Boundaries

This Service is owned and operated by Astellas US, but the information you provide may be accessible by, collected by or transferred to our affiliates and subsidiaries, vendors and suppliers in other countries. Furthermore, this Privacy Statement addresses only information that is or may be collected on our US Services, which are not intended to be used by non-US residents, or information otherwise collected in the United States. If you are using this Service from a country other than the United States, your communication with us will necessarily result in the transfer of information across international boundaries. By using this Service, you consent to the collection, storage, and processing of your information in the United States and in any country to which we may transfer your information in the course of our business operations.

10. Job Applicants and Contractors

If you have applied for employment or a contract position with Astellas, the information submitted in your job application and that we otherwise collect in evaluating your application will be used for recruitment and other customary human resources purposes including any required government reporting and recordkeeping obligations. This information may include criminal record information and federal exclusion list status, as applicable.

11. Children

We do not knowingly collect or sell any information from children, as defined by applicable law, without parental consent or as otherwise permitted by applicable law.

12. Data Security

We take reasonable steps to protect your information from unauthorized access. You should keep in mind, however, that no internet transmission is ever 100% secure or error free. In particular, email sent to or from a website or online resource may not be secure, and you should therefore take special care in deciding what information you send to us via email. Moreover, where you use user IDs and passwords to access the Services, it is your responsibility to safeguard your access credentials. Please note that information collected by third parties may not have the same security protections as information you submit to us, and we are not responsible for protecting the security of such information.

13. Links to Other Websites

While our Services may provide links to other third-party websites as a service to our visitors, we do not endorse, nor are we responsible for the content of such third-party sites. Furthermore, this Privacy Statement does not apply to third-party websites, even if they are accessed through a link from an Astellas US website or online resource or otherwise directed to by one of our Services. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party website before providing any personal information.

14. Contact Information

Questions about this Privacy Statement may be directed to: [email protected] or you can write to us at:
Astellas Pharma US, Inc.
Attn: Privacy Office
1 Astellas Way
Northbrook, IL 60062
[email protected]
1-800-423-5521
United States residents may also exercise their rights through this web form.

15. Changes

We reserve the right to amend this Privacy Statement at our discretion. When changes are made to this Privacy Statement we will post the updated policy and the date the last revisions were made. We encourage you to periodically review this page for the most current Privacy Statement.