Dr Claire Thom has left her role at Takeda to join rival Japanese pharma company Astellas as senior VP of global oncology development.
Dr Thom was most recently senior VP portfolio management, drug development management and strategic business operations at Millennium, the oncology-focused subsidiary of Takeda.
She will now lead Astellas’ efforts in cancer, which include prostate cancer drug Xtandi (enzalutamide) and Tarveca (erlotinib) – a lung cancer drug co-marketed by Roche.
At Millennium Dr Thom will have worked on Velcade, a drug co-developed with Johnson & Johnson (J&J) that is used in blood cancer.
“We’re thrilled that Claire is joining our experienced oncology team at Astellas,” said Dr Sef Kurstjens, chief medical officer of Astellas.
“We believe that her unique background and varied experience, along with her approach to leadership and management will support our mission to become a global category leader in oncology.”
Prior to joining Millennium, Dr Thom served for several years at Takeda itself, including holding responsibility for the oversight and implementation of the global therapeutic area strategies for the company’s oncology, urology and gynaecology franchises.