Author: Teresa Bitetti, President, Global Oncology Business Unit
Curing cancer is an enormous task. And, like any difficult task, it will take the involvement of many individuals to accomplish.
At Takeda Oncology, we’ve uniquely designed our team to remain agile and move with an ever-changing, dynamic industry. And I’ve found three key components to be integral to our progress and critical to our success — ones that I believe can apply to many organizations:
The Oncology Business Unit (OBU) at Takeda functions as a separate group within our company. This gives us the resources and dependability of a large pharma company and a structure that allows us to move with the speed and agility of a biotech—allowing us to blend the best of biotech and large pharma experiences. We seek to advance cancer care for underserved populations, and this has yielded a pipeline that is sharply focused on introducing new treatments that bring needed value to patients.
The strength of our portfolio would also not be possible without the diversity of our team. We value different cultures, backgrounds, interests and experiences because varying perspectives have proven vital in developing and launching new therapies. While a diverse team and unique internal structure is critical, it’s important that our external partners align with our organizational goals as well.
Our unique structure within a large global organization gives us flexibility in how we develop meaningful partnerships with other companies and organizations. For Takeda Oncology, we are always looking for partners who we can help, and who can help us, as we go forward together with a shared aspiration to cure cancer. Our partners represent the best in cutting-edge science and innovative advancements, and through our collaboration on promising platforms and investigational therapies, we’re working to optimize and expand our oncology pipeline. Our progress to date would not be possible without a broad range of partners such Ascentage Pharma, HUTCHMED and GammaDelta Therapeutics.
Nonetheless, it takes more than scientific discovery to cure cancer. We need to learn more about the patient experience from the patients themselves, and we need to do all we can to ensure that patients around the globe have access to our innovative treatments. This is why we partner with many patient organizations. For example, after licensing our treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) from HUTCHMED, we joined forces with leading advocacy organizations worldwide to create a unique patient survey to help us determine how we can best address their needs. You can learn more about our patient partnerships here.
Some of the biggest brands in the world—Apple, Netflix, National Geographic—have leveraged emerging technology to revolutionize the way they operate and advance as businesses. The healthcare industry should be approached with the same frame of mind; we must be willing to change and evolve as technology advances and patient needs change.
Such evolution is core to who we are at Takeda Oncology. Our oncology business used to be significantly smaller than today, with a portfolio primarily focused on hematologic malignancies, or blood cancers. Now, we also have solid tumor therapies and have established a pipeline of investigational therapies with the potential to attack cancer from multiple angles. This progress has positioned us to develop more treatment options for patients who have difficult-to-treat cancers. We’re proud to have grown through thoughtful, strategic partnerships and a deep understanding of the ever-evolving oncology landscape.
Cancer is a clever and difficult opponent. At Takeda, we know we cannot defeat it on our own and must continue to work in agile and innovative ways, seek partners who share our goals and evolve as needed to meet patient needs and thrive in a dynamic landscape. It is this unique village, comprised of internal and external partners, all working toward the same goals, that will equip us to achieve our aspiration to cure cancer.
Learn more about partnering with Takeda.
Balancing clinical outcomes with quality of life. Explore how Takeda Oncology prioritizes patient impact alongside survival rates in cancer treatment approaches.
Beyond early detection: Learn how Takeda Oncology partners with patient advocacy organizations to bridge care gaps in metastatic colorectal cancer support.
Cancer treatment extends beyond clinical care. Explore how Takeda Oncology supports patients through mental health, well-being, and holistic approaches to care.
