Aculys Pharma this week announced it appointed Hidemasa Tankgaki as CEO.

Tanigaki replaces Takeshi Takahashi, who stepped down as the interim CEO and will remain a board member at the company.

The appointment took effect on March 29. He has been a leader in the pharmaceutical industry for over 30 years, most recently leading the gastrointestinal disease business unit at Takeda.

“The Aculys Board warmly welcomes Hidemasa as the new CEO of Aculys. We believe his impressive track record and experience in the pharmaceutical sector make him an ideal leader to take the team and assets toward commercialization. We are confident he will continue to position the company as a leading biopharma in the field of neurological and psychiatric disorders, executing Aculys’ clinical, commercial, and financial strategy,” Aculys Executive Chair BT Slingsby said in a news release.

Prior to joining the company Tanigaki held numerous key leadership roles with varying responsibilities at Takeda and Nihon Pharmaceutical.

Aculys Pharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that wants to eliminate drug lab/drug loss. It develops and commercializes pharmaceuticals for neuropsychiatry.

“I am thrilled to join Aculys which focuses on addressing today’s drug lag/drug loss with an utmost sense of urgency. I believe the Aculys’ pipeline carries great potential to transform the lives of patients. I look forward to working with the team to deliver such products to those in need as quickly as possible,” Tanigaki said.