Takeda's betting on its pipeline to spur a long-awaited turnaround

Christophe Weber

Japanese giant Takeda Pharmaceutical is planning to finally return to growth next year, counting on its late-stage medicines to the lead charge. Incoming CEO Christophe Weber told Bloomberg that 2015 is "an investment year," as the 233-year-old company positions itself to overcome patent losses with new products. Leading the way is ixazomib, a Phase III blood cancer medicine the drugmaker hopes can succeed its blockbuster Velcade. Late last year, Takeda poached Sanofi ($SNY) veteran Andrew Plump to lead its R&D efforts, instituting Weber's vision of a streamlined research organization focused on areas in which the company can eventually lead the industry. More