Daiichi Sankyo is promoting Ken Keller to lead a newly created globally integrated commercialization unit as part of its ambition to become a top five oncology company by 2035.
The Japanese drugmaker outlined plans in May to build “robust stand-alone clinical development and commercial capabilities” at the centre of its strategy to become a leading cancer medicine maker.
Centralising global commercialization activities is intended to help Daiichi optimise resources, standardise processes, develop talent and deepen collaboration across its various business units.
Keller secured the chief commercialization officer role on the back of five years leading the global oncology business at Daiichi Sankyo, a position that gave him deep experience across the company’s cancer portfolio.
He originally joined Daiichi in 2014 and played a significant role in the launches of Enhertu and Datroway, the company’s antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) products developed alongside AstraZeneca.
Before joining Daiichi, Keller spent 20 years at Amgen, giving him extensive experience across the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries prior to his move into oncology-focused commercialization.
The new commercialization unit is structured around five regional divisions, each led by an internal appointment drawn from existing Daiichi Sankyo leadership talent.
Yuichi Yomasu will lead China, Markus Kosch will head Europe, Marcelo Goncalves will cover Latin America, Kenji Shigeta will oversee North America, and Nobuo Murakami will lead the Japan, Asia and Pacific region.
Daiichi has also created or restructured global commercial functions covering areas including commercial excellence, marketing, access and pricing, and medical affairs, again promoting from within to fill the leadership roles.
Keller is set to formally take charge of the new unit from April 1, positioning Daiichi to leverage the restructured organisation through a pivotal period in its commercial expansion.
The company aims to make five drugs available across 20 new indications by 2030, a target that underscores the urgency behind establishing stronger standalone commercial capabilities.
Daiichi currently partners with AstraZeneca to jointly commercialise Enhertu and Datroway outside Japan, and has agreements with Merck to jointly commercialise patritumab deruxtecan, ifinatamab deruxtecan and raludotatug deruxtecan.
Building independent development and commercialization capabilities could allow Daiichi to retain a greater share of the value generated by future ADC candidates and other drug programmes.