Better Health, Brighter Future
Andy Plump on Pushing the Boundaries of Science Within the “New” Takeda R&D Community
Upon the launch of the “new” Takeda, the company’s Director, President of Research & Development, Andy Plump, offered his perspective on the new organization and its impact on Takeda’s ability to discover new medicines.
“The combined assets of Shire and Takeda represent something special to those of us in the R&D community. I use the word ‘community’ advisedly because I believe that to be truly innovative, you need to be part of a community of experts who leverage their unique strengths in pursuit of a common goal. Takeda’s R&D engine just got more robust and productive. While Shire has highly complementary positions to Takeda in gastroenterology and neuroscience, it also brings special expertise in rare diseases, an attractive mid- to late-stage pipeline enriched with large-molecule programs, as well as cutting-edge technologies in gene therapy and recombinant proteins – all of which will be invaluable in Takeda’s work in oncology and focused efforts in vaccines,” said Dr. Plump.
In addition, Dr. Plump believes that Takeda is primed to be a leader in several important therapeutic areas. “We now have a highly complementary, robust, modality-diverse pipeline focused on four core therapeutic areas: Oncology, Gastroenterology, Neuroscience and Rare Diseases, with targeted R&D investments in Plasma-Derived Therapies and Vaccines,” he said.
Dr. Plump also indicates there are other reasons to be excited about bringing together two dynamic research and development teams. “Both R&D operations are largely centered around Boston. And we share a common commitment to collaboration – with our internal colleagues to be sure, but also with a growing ecosystem of start-up organizations, academic institutions, business partners and suppliers. These external partners are essential to maintaining an innovation edge in our highly competitive business environment.”
According to Dr. Plump, “The goal, of course, is to push the boundaries of science in order to bring transformative, life-changing therapies to patients who need them. That’s the mission that unites all of us in R&D…indeed all of our colleagues across our combined organization. I’m thrilled to be part of this exciting mission. And I welcome our new colleagues in the Shire R&D community, as well as their external partners, as, together, we create a world-class research community for the benefit of patients everywhere.”
“The combined assets of Shire and Takeda represent something special to those of us in the R&D community. I use the word ‘community’ advisedly because I believe that to be truly innovative, you need to be part of a community of experts who leverage their unique strengths in pursuit of a common goal. Takeda’s R&D engine just got more robust and productive. While Shire has highly complementary positions to Takeda in gastroenterology and neuroscience, it also brings special expertise in rare diseases, an attractive mid- to late-stage pipeline enriched with large-molecule programs, as well as cutting-edge technologies in gene therapy and recombinant proteins – all of which will be invaluable in Takeda’s work in oncology and focused efforts in vaccines,” said Dr. Plump.
In addition, Dr. Plump believes that Takeda is primed to be a leader in several important therapeutic areas. “We now have a highly complementary, robust, modality-diverse pipeline focused on four core therapeutic areas: Oncology, Gastroenterology, Neuroscience and Rare Diseases, with targeted R&D investments in Plasma-Derived Therapies and Vaccines,” he said.
Dr. Plump also indicates there are other reasons to be excited about bringing together two dynamic research and development teams. “Both R&D operations are largely centered around Boston. And we share a common commitment to collaboration – with our internal colleagues to be sure, but also with a growing ecosystem of start-up organizations, academic institutions, business partners and suppliers. These external partners are essential to maintaining an innovation edge in our highly competitive business environment.”
According to Dr. Plump, “The goal, of course, is to push the boundaries of science in order to bring transformative, life-changing therapies to patients who need them. That’s the mission that unites all of us in R&D…indeed all of our colleagues across our combined organization. I’m thrilled to be part of this exciting mission. And I welcome our new colleagues in the Shire R&D community, as well as their external partners, as, together, we create a world-class research community for the benefit of patients everywhere.”