Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. Sponsored ADR(TAK.US) First Female CEO Debuts: Plans to Resume Growth within Three Years, Launch Three Major New Drugs in the Next 12 Months.

Newly appointed CEO of Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. Sponsored ADR (TAK.US), Julie Kim, stated that as the company prepares to launch a series of new products, it aims to restore growth within two to three years. Kim, in her first press conference after assuming the role of CEO this week, said that the company's goal is to achieve at least a 5% return on equity during this period. Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. Sponsored ADR plans to launch three major products in the next 12 months, including drugs for treating insomnia, Oveporexton, and psoriasis, Zasocitinib, as well as advancing five other candidates in late-stage development. This move is aimed at ensuring the steady development of its core therapeutic and business areas, which contribute to over half of the company's revenue. Kim also mentioned that the company plans to utilize artificial intelligence technology, especially in research and development, to accelerate pre-clinical research processes and improve decision-making. This technology has helped speed up the process of identifying drug targets from about six months to two weeks. "From a financial perspective, if we achieve all of these business goals, we will be able to restore growth, although the growth rate may not be very high," she said. Kim is the first female leader in the 245-year history of the Japanese pharmaceutical company, and one of the few foreigners in senior positions in the country. Born in Seoul and raised in the United States, she joined the company seven years ago after Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. Sponsored ADR acquired Shire PLC, leading their plasma-derived therapy business unit and later overseeing their U.S. business. She succeeded Christophe Weber, the company's first non-Japanese CEO, who had been CEO for over a decade. Kim stated that she plans for her tenure to be equally long. She said, "Assuming I continue to perform well at work and shareholders vote to support me every year, the board will ask me to commit to at least 10 years in the position." Kim has brought a distinctively U.S.-centric perspective to Takeda, with the U.S. being the company's largest source of revenue. Senior analyst Miki Sogi from Sanford C Bernstein Japan KK said, "Her primary task seems to be maximizing the company's business value in the U.S., marking a significant shift from Christophe's more balanced approach of giving relatively equal importance to Europe, emerging markets, and Japan."