NJ-DAIICHI-SANKYO
22.2.2021 13:02:07 CET | Business Wire | Press release
Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited (hereafter, Daiichi Sankyo) today announced Ken Takeshita, MD will be named the new Global Head of Research & Development as of April 1, 2021. On that date, Dr. Junichi Koga will retire from the position, after a successful and industrious career, including more than 12 years at Daiichi Sankyo.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210222005290/en/
Dr. Takeshita joins Daiichi Sankyo from Kite Pharma, a Gilead Company, where he was Senior Vice President and Global Head of Development since 2019, and interim Head of Research. Ken is a highly experienced physician with deep experience in oncology and rare diseases. Prior to Kite, he served as Senior Vice President of Clinical Research at Sorrento Therapeutics and Corporate Vice President of Clinical R&D at Celgene. He has led full-scale global drug development programs across hematological and solid tumors at Kite, Celgene and Amgen. Before joining the biopharmaceutical industry, Ken was on the faculty in Hematology at Yale University School of Medicine and New York University School of Medicine. He earned a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from Harvard University and his medical degree from Yale University. He received post-doctoral training in hematology, oncology and developmental biology at Yale and in hematopoiesis at University of Tokyo.
“We are thrilled to welcome Ken into the Daiichi Sankyo family to lead global R&D in our continued transformation into a global oncology leader and to pursue world-class science and technology,” said Sunao Manabe, President and CEO, Daiichi Sankyo Company, Ltd. “Ken brings remarkable depth and breadth of experience to our organization – from first-hand patient care to overseeing more than 20 registrational trials leading to many regulatory approvals. I am confident that Ken is the right leader to bring Daiichi Sankyo into our next phase of drug discovery and development, as we innovate and deliver practice-changing medicines to our global community.”
“I am honored to join the Daiichi Sankyo R&D organization to seek to extend and improve lives of patients and eliminate cancer altogether,” said Dr. Ken Takeshita. “I have watched Daiichi Sankyo build and grow with admiration. I look forward to bringing the Company’s antibody drug conjugates and new, innovative modalities to more patients and to working in a unique company culture with Japanese roots, fitting of a world-class global organization,” said Dr. Takeshita.
“Junichi has been instrumental in shaping our current R&D portfolio, particularly in spearheading the establishment of our biologics research organization, out of which our incredibly promising ADC pipeline was born,” said Dr. Manabe. “We thank him for his dedication to patients and to Daiichi Sankyo and look forward to continuing to work with him as an advisor to me and our leaders in 2021.”
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210222005290/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
FIFA and Fanatics Expand Wide-Ranging Relationship to Include Historic Exclusive Collectibles Agreement (Trading Cards, Stickers and Trading Card Games)7.5.2026 13:00:00 CEST | Press release
Partnership includes FIFA tournaments and events from 2031Agreement encompasses both physical and digital collectibles, and for the first time brings the player jersey patch program to international footballPre-match press conferences for the FIFA World Cup Final to take place at Fanatics Fest on Friday, 17 July 2026 In a landmark agreement expanding their already successful wide-ranging commercial relationship, FIFA and Fanatics have signed a long-term, exclusive collectibles licensing deal that features trading cards, stickers, and trading card games. The agreement, which will begin in full in 2031, covers both physical and digital collectibles. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260507105628/en/ An example of the product innovations that will be brought to fans under this new partnership is the highly sought-after player jersey patch program, including debut patches, which will be inserted into football tradin
DEFINITIVE Trial Reaches Major Milestone: All Centres Approved and More Than 50% Recruitment Achieved7.5.2026 11:21:00 CEST | Press release
Poster presented at ESMO Breast Cancer 2026: Exploring health policy and real-world treatment strategies for early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer across Europe. The DEFINITIVE project, a landmark European Union-funded international phase III clinical trial evaluating the use of the HER2DX diagnostic assay to guide personalised treatment in early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer (BC), announces two major operational milestones at the ESMO Breast Cancer 2026 congress. Approvals have been obtained in the 7 participating countries, 33 clinicals sites are now open for patient recruitment. The trial has reached over 50% of its recruitment target, marking a pivotal moment on the path toward to transforming HER2-positive BC treatment. About the DEFINITIVE Project The DEFINITIVE project is a 5-year, prospective, open-label, randomised, two-arm phase III international clinical trial conducted across 44 centres in 7 European member states and associated countries. The trial aims to demonstrat
The AI Summit London Unveils 10th Anniversary Speaker Line-Up Featuring Global Leaders in Enterprise AI7.5.2026 10:00:00 CEST | Press release
Including Executives and Policymakers from the UK Government, NVIDIA, AWS, Tony Blair Institute, AstraZeneca and Virgin Atlantic The AI Summit London today unveiled its keynote speaker line-up for the event’s 10th anniversary edition, bringing together senior leaders, technologists and policymakers from across the globe. The 2026 programme will explore the transformative power of artificial intelligence across sectors including government, enterprise, healthcare, finance and AI infrastructure. Speakers from NVIDIA, Amazon Web Services, Virgin Atlantic, AstraZeneca, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and JPMorgan Chase will explore AI deployment, governance, infrastructure and customer transformation across major industries. Further, Jim Carter, Director General Commercial and Industry at the Ministry of Defence, Ollie Ilott, Interim Director General, Emerging Technology and AI, UK Government, and Sasha Rubel, Head of AI/Generative AI Policy, EMEA, Amazon Web Services will lead
MOVIVA® launch spotlight at ESGE Days 20267.5.2026 09:58:00 CEST | Press release
“Turn down the food noise” During its 175th anniversary year, Erbe Elektromedizin GmbH highlights its continued commitment to healthcare innovation with the launch of MOVIVA®, a minimally invasive solution for gastric mucosal ablation (GMA) in endoscopic obesity therapy. MOVIVA® will be the central focus of Erbe’s activities at ESGE Days in Milan, 14–16 May 2026. Physicians can explore the technology in the hands-on area and attend a dedicated symposium. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260507842222/en/ How GMA with MOVIVA® works “Obesity continues to rise worldwide, and many patients still face a gap between lifestyle interventions, pharmacotherapy, and bariatric surgery. Endoscopic approaches are emerging as additional treatment options. With MOVIVA®, we aim to support physicians in bringing this innovative treatment option into clinical practice and expanding access to minimally invasive obesity therapies.”
Resilience Takes Center Stage as Europe’s LEED Community Gathers in Milan for GBCI Europe Circle 20267.5.2026 09:57:00 CEST | Press release
GBCI Europe Impact Report 2026 highlights that 53% of European real estate leaders prioritize resilience as a financial imperative. Green Business Certification Inc. Europe (GBCI), is hosting Circle 2026, the annual flagship event of the European LEED community, taking place in Milan from May 6–8 and marking its fifth anniversary. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260506692329/en/ Porta Nuova, Milan - LEED v4.1 Communities: Existing, Gold certification. Photo courtesy of COIMA. At the center of discussions is LEED v5, the latest version of the world’s most widely used green building rating system, as a bridge to EU Taxonomy alignment - a critical priority for the European market, where regulatory pressure and investor demand are accelerating the integration of certification, finance, and ESG reporting. GBCI Europe Impact Report 2026: European Real Estate Shifts from Sustainability to Risk Management As part of t
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom