Currently, there are 800 molecules in preclinical development for rare diseases (10% of the total). What do you expect from these results?
The number of therapies available for rare diseases remains limited, with less than 6% of these conditions having an approved treatment option. Currently, there is an urgent and unmet medical need in the development of therapies for rare diseases. Most of our programs are based on first-in-class molecules that address areas of high medical need in our main therapeutic areas: Rare Diseases, Gastroenterology, Neurosciences and Oncology.
As highlights, the EMA has recommended approval of Takeda’s dengue vaccine, and also approval of our therapy for cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease in transplant patients who have received at least one prior therapy.
One of Takeda’s key therapeutic areas is oncology, which accounts for nearly 25% of new drug research. What advances do you hope to see in the next two years?
We are working on unlocking the potential of new immunotherapies. The aspiration is to cure cancer. We focus on maintaining a close connection between research, development and access to therapies to meet the needs of cancer patients as soon as possible.
Although cancer is intelligent, the immune system is also. We are exploring opportunities to reveal the potential of as yet unknown mechanisms of the immune system. The data presented covers different types of cancer, including lymphoma, leukemia, multiple myeloma, and non-small cell lung cancer, and includes preliminary information on investigational therapies based on innate immunity.
What are the company’s main markets by revenue and what share do they represent?
Our five key therapeutic areas accounted for approximately 86% of our revenue in fiscal 2021, and the strength of our portfolio was key to our delivering underlying revenue growth of 7.4%. The top five key areas, by percentage of FY 2021 base income, were Gastroenterology (25%), Rare Diseases (18%), Immunology and Plasma Derivatives (15%), Oncology (14%), and Neurosciences (14%) .
In terms of revenue, Takeda establishes three main geographic areas. Our total revenues in fiscal year 2021 were $29.4 billion, corresponding to: United States (48%); Japan (18%) and Europe and Canada (21%).
A well-known Spanish biologist, Professor López Otín, states that “science reveals the true beauty of the world.” Do you agree with this statement?
Of course I agree. Thanks to science we can discover what is behind everything and raise our knowledge. Not only in the scientific aspect. It is a lesson for everything in life. We develop the science to imagine the future, a brighter and healthier future. We apply science to cure diseases or alleviate their symptoms so that people live longer and better, but above all to offer them the opportunity to make their dreams come true.
Do you foresee that artificial intelligence, computing, genetics and monitoring sensors may perceive diseases as an engineering problem?
The effectiveness of artificial intelligence (AI) in improving aspects of healthcare is becoming increasingly evident, so it is likely that AI will be incorporated into routine clinical care in the near future. In the healthcare and pharmaceutical fields, precision in the use of data is critical, so we have to be very cautious in the implementation of each new technology.
How do you perceive the Spanish market and the economic stability of a European country that is suffering the consequences of the global crisis?
In the first days of 2023, the Spanish Government announced that GDP growth in 2022 reached 5.5%. Spain closed the year with one of the best figures in the European Union and one of the lowest inflation rates.
Regarding the sector, in Spain there are 200 pharmaceutical companies, with stable, equal and qualified employment: 44,000 employees, 6,000 of them dedicated to R&D. Of the total number of employees, 94% have a permanent contract, 53% are women, 29% are under 29 years of age and 64% have university studies, well above the national average.
And regarding the Spanish subsidiary?
Takeda’s footprint in Spain is also notable. He has achieved a “very good” rating in the PROFARMA Plan, demonstrating our commitment to R&D in Spain. We employ approximately 340 people and have a very important manufacturing center that supplies cell therapy to 20 European countries, as well as the United States and Canada, and transfers knowledge to other centers. As an example that patients are at the center of everything we do, we have published the document ‘Roadmap for Rare Diseases: Consensus Proposals for Health’ to help improve the diagnosis and management of these patients and their families .
Does the company consider outsourcing a percentage of its activity to promote innovation, as other companies in the sector have done?
We are more focused on insourcing than outsourcing. So much so that we have created an innovation capacity center in Europe, in Bratislava, with the aim of developing new capabilities for Takeda, promoting new ways of working and making shared decisions within our different activities. We believe that digital will drive the future. DRAFTING. MADRID