Deerfield, IL – Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. has created business units aimed at capitalizing on new opportunities to strengthen its focus on product launches in inflammatory bowel disease and major depressive disorder.
As part of that shift in focus, the company announced it has agreed to transfer back to Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc. the rights to develop and commercialize in the United States its Contrave (naltrexone HCl/bupropion HCl) prescription treatment for chronic weight management for overweight and obese adults.
The completion of the Contrave agreement is subject to receipt of clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvement Act. The move allows Takeda to focus promotional resources against its portfolio of medicines in areas such as MDD, IBD, gout and diabetes, according to the company.
The parties agreed to a 180-day transition period during which time Takeda will continue to commercialize Contrave in the U.S. The drug received FDA approval in September 2014.
“Takeda is focusing resources behind opportunities where we can lead,” Ramona Sequeira, Takeda U.S.A. president, said. “We are making very deliberate strategic choices on where we will invest, and where we won’t.”
Takeda recently formed its new Specialty Business Unit to handle areas such as patient support and evidence generation. Stephanie Brown, previously with Biogen, joined the unit taking on the newly created role of VP. Brown has more than 25 years of experience in the healthcare filed, including specialty therapeutics.
In addition, Takeda has created a General Medicine Business Unit, headed up by Thomas Gibbs, senior VP, who joined the company from Vanda Pharmaceuticals. The new unit will provide support and marketing for the company’s medicines in the areas of central nervous system, gastroenterology, gout and diabetes.
“The functional model of Takeda’s past does not allow us to take an integrated approach to commercialization, which is what our customers need us to do as the
U.S. healthcare system evolves,” Sequeira said. “We need to be able to look across evidence generation, patient access, and commercialization strategies and ensure they are aligned to meet the needs of patients, payors and providers in order to truly provide value through our medicines.”
Other recent executive additions at Takeda’s U.S operations include: Richard Ascroft, formerly with Eli Lilly and Company, to the newly created position of VP, Managed Markets and Government Affairs; Nicole Mowad-Nassar, named VP, External Partnerships, focusing primarily on digital and big data; and William Jones, who joined from AstraZeneca as Head of Sales and Operations of the General Medicine Business Unit.
(Sources: Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc., Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc., PR Newswire)
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