Delivering on our ambitious aspirations.

By Christophe Weber, President and CEO, Takeda

December 9, 2021

I recently shared my thoughts on the progress we’ve made on our company’s transformational journey that began less than a decade ago. Since then, we’ve achieved important milestones as our pipeline is beginning to deliver on our ambitious aspirations.

At Reuters Total Health, I was proud to discuss our recent accomplishments and underscore my optimism about where we’re heading. Andy Plump, our President of R&D, also joined me at the event, sharing his perspective on how the pandemic accelerated the industry’s use of data and new digital tools. For example, at Takeda, we are fully embracing the decentralized approach to clinical trials, which fundamentally shifts the trial paradigm by bringing a part of the trial to patients instead of always bringing patients to a site. This accelerated during COVID-19, and we recently completed our first fully decentralized trial for cyclic vomiting syndrome, a disease where the unpredictability of symptoms represents a substantial unmet need for patients and has also limited the ability to study the condition in a robust and systematic way.

Despite the pressures of the pandemic, I’m proud of how our teams have come together in new and innovative ways to continue making a difference for patients, and I'm inspired and energized by their spirit and dedication. However, we can’t rest upon what we’ve done well; we are always looking to accelerate how we bring transformative therapies to patients so they can enjoy the better moments that lie ahead. And, importantly, we recognize that along with driving innovation forward, it won’t happen without experiencing some setbacks along the way—but our teams are resilient and I’m confident that our momentum and progress remains on course for continued success.

Critical progress

With strong first half results in fiscal year 2021, our growth strategy is clear and we have a razor-sharp focus on bringing life-transforming treatments to patients. In September, we announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of an important treatment option for adult patients with living with non-small cell lung cancer. Last month we also received U.S. FDA approval for individuals aged 12 years and over for the first and only treatment of post-transplant cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection that is resistant to treatment with conventional antiviral therapies. These innovative medicines bring new treatment options to patients in need and prove that our reimagined pipeline is starting to deliver.

The path forward

We have one of the most exciting pipelines in the industry, and having approximately 40 new molecular entities in clinical development gives our pipeline strength and resilience. In fact, more than one-third of our late stage pipeline has received breakthrough therapy designation – a true testament to our innovation and focus on targeting entirely new categories and modalities. Examples of exciting progress include rare diseases, where there is a desperate need for effective treatment options. We also have multiple first-in-class immunotherapy candidates in blood cancers and solid tumor and our vaccine candidates are designed to help address critical global health challenges include dengue fever and zika.

Takeda's transformation is a recipe for continued growth and our progress to date shows how an R&D-driven company can help transform the lives of patients. Over the next decade, we look forward to delivering potential new therapies to patients, and advancing our vision: better health for people, a brighter future for the world.

To learn about recent Takeda news and milestones, click here.

Medical information
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