Tokyo and Basking Ridge, NJ – (February 20, 2026) – Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited (TSE: 4568)has appointed John Tsai, MD to succeed Ken Takeshita, MD, who is stepping down as Global Head of R&D,effective April 1, 2026.
Dr. Tsai will bring more than 25 years of proven leadership and experience driving innovation to furthergrow the rich Daiichi Sankyo pipeline, as well as lead the acceleration of new science to bring neededmedicines to patients. He will join from venture capital firm Syncona Investment Management, where he wasan Executive Partner responsible for starting new biotech companies based on scientific innovation and alsodriving execution across several biotech companies focused on oncology, cardiovascular and kidney diseasetherapeutic areas.
Previously, Dr. Tsai was the President and Head of Global Drug Development and Chief Medical Officer ofNovartis AG where he led the development of 160 new projects and 500 clinical trials leading to globalapprovals for 15 new medicines, including new breakthrough technologies such as gene therapy andradioligand therapy. He also gained deep experience in both clinical development and medical affairs servingas the Chief Medical Officer at Amgen and the Head of Late Phase Development at Bristol Myers Squibb.Dr. Tsai holds a medical degree from the University of Louisville School of Medicine and a bachelor ofscience degree in Electrical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis.
“John Tsai will bring unique expertise to our continued pursuit of cutting-edge science and technology andwill be a formidable addition to the Daiichi Sankyo leadership team as we execute our next five-yearbusiness plan and beyond,” said Hiroyuki Okuzawa, President and CEO, Daiichi Sankyo. “We thank KenTakeshita for leading the global transformation of our R&D function, including the development of thecompany’s industry-leading antibody drug conjugate portfolio. We wish him the best for his professionalfuture.”
“Joining Daiichi Sankyo at such a pivotal time is both an honor and exciting opportunity. Daiichi Sankyo hasbuilt a world-class scientific organization, and I look forward to building on this legacy to further driveinnovation for patients,” said John Tsai.
About Daiichi Sankyo
Daiichi Sankyo is an innovative global healthcare company contributing to the sustainable development ofsociety that discovers, develops and delivers new standards of care to enrich the quality of life around theworld. With more than 120 years of experience, Daiichi Sankyo leverages its world-class science andtechnology to create new modalities and innovative medicines for people with cancer, cardiovascular andother disease with high unmet medical need.