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Kyowa Kirin Integrates North America Businesses in Support of Company's 2030 Vision and Rapid Growth Trajectory

Published: Mar 31, 2021

New Organizational Structure and Senior Leadership Hires Seek to Strengthen Regional Business Operations, Optimize Investments and Aid in Delivery of First-in-Class Medicines

BEDMINSTER, N.J., March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Kyowa Kirin, Inc., an affiliate of Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd. (Kyowa Kirin, TSE: 4151) a global specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced a key milestone in its North American Business Integration (NABI) initiative; specifically, the merger of its Kyowa Kirin Research and Kyowa Kirin Development companies into Kyowa Kirin, Inc. The outcome of this merger is a simpler business structure for the organization and a common set of processes and systems to enhance the productivity and collaborations across North America discovery, development and commercial functions. This new structure will enable the region's continued rapid growth and contributions toward the global organization's New 2030 Vision, with a steady focus on creating and delivering novel medicines for patients.

All organizational changes under the NABI initiative take effect on April 1, 2021. Kyowa Kirin Canada, Inc. and BioWa, Inc., both maintain their current structure as subsidiaries of Kyowa Kirin, Inc. and Kyowa Kirin USA Holdings, Inc. respectively. A management agreement between Kyowa Kirin, Inc. and each subsidiary provides for access to key business services.

"We've received several FDA approvals since 2018 and continue to see great promise in our late-stage global pipeline. The organizational changes we are making through NABI will help Kyowa Kirin North America deliver the full value of these opportunities," says Gary Zieziula, President, Kyowa Kirin North America. "Through NABI, we're working to enable more efficient collaborations and business support for the functions that discover, develop and deliver first-in-class medicines that can have a profound impact on patients' lives."

Between 2017 and 2020, annual revenues from KKNA medicines have grown from $25M to more than $500M. The NABI initiative will further serve KKNA in its rapid growth and expansion into new markets, including Canada, and is aligned with Kyowa Kirin's global priorities to:

  • Maximize the full value of the organization's portfolio to address patient needs
  • Leverage cutting-edge science and expertise in biotechnology, including antibody engineering, to build a pipeline that will drive global business growth beyond 2025
  • Pursue world-class product quality and operational excellence
  • Strengthen the organization with diverse talent and digital systems

"This major initiative will unify our way of thinking and help KKNA navigate an exciting but rapid growth trajectory," said Tara D'Orsi, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, Kyowa Kirin North America. "With the integration of the North America-based entities, we will now utilize common processes, systems and documentation to support workflow across functions. We believe this will help us conduct business with enhanced speed, compliance and teamwork, which is key to our mission to deliver medicines that have a profound impact for patients."

In addition to the integration of legal entities, KKNA has further strengthened its leadership team in 2021 with the addition and promotion of several senior executives with responsibility for key functions that support regional operations and stakeholder engagement:

  • Britt Byers, Senior Vice President of Human Resources
  • Nancy Maher, Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer
  • Casilda Barnes, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs
  • Lauren Walrath, Vice President of Public Affairs

Additionally, the organization appointed Doug Grant as General Manager, Canada. The organization is proceeding with plans to file mogamulizumab (Poteligeo®) with Health Canada in 2021, in addition to building a rare disease business unit.

KKNA's diverse, highly collaborative team works across functions and regions to build a strong specialty medicines portfolio, while maintaining the highest ethical standards. The organization's success depends on teamwork/Wa, a core Japanese principle that harnesses the talent and expertise of individuals toward a common purpose of advancing innovations with a profound impact on patient lives.

About Kyowa Kirin North America
Kyowa Kirin strives to create and deliver novel medicines with life-changing value. As a Japan-based Global Specialty Pharmaceutical Company, we apply cutting-edge science and expertise in antibody research and engineering to address the needs of patients and society across multiple therapeutic areas, including Nephrology, Oncology, Immunology/Allergy and Neurology. Across four global regions – Japan, Asia Pacific, North America and EMEA/International – we are united by our shared values of commitment to life, teamwork/Wa, innovation, and integrity, and a drive to advance innovations that have a profound impact on patients. You can learn more about Kyowa Kirin North America at: https://kkna.kyowakirin.com.

CONTACT:
Lauren Walrath
Vice President, Public Affairs – North America
lauren.walrath.g4@kyowakirin.com
646-526-4454

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SOURCE Kyowa Kirin, Inc.


Company Codes: Tokyo:4151, OTC-PINK:KYKOY

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