Taiho Oncology names Timothy Whitten as president

Taiho Oncology, a subsidiary of Taiho Pharmaceuticals, has promoted its senior vice president and chief operating officer Timothy Whitten to president.

His new role will see him take responsibility for the firm’s corporate, commercial and clinical development-related functions, as well as hold operational responsibility for Taiho Pharma Canada and Taiho Pharma Europe.

Whitten will continue to report to the firm’s departing president Eric Benn, who will remain chief executive officer until his retirement on April 1, at which time Whitten will also be named CEO.

Benn said: “Tim was an obvious choice to take our company to the next level of clinical development and commercial excellence in the west, and to support our quest to become a top 10 oncology company globally.

“Under Tim’s leadership, we have made great strides in establishing our global presence in the oncology pharmaceutical arena, and we have an exciting future ahead of us as we continue to focus on patients with cancer through the development of our robust pipeline and product commercialisation.”

Whitten joined Taiho Oncology in 2013 as its senior vice president and chief commercial officer to oversee the company’s commercial functions.

Prior to this, he served pharmaceutical companies including Insmed and BMS.

He said: “It is an honour to take on the role of president at Taiho Oncology and build on the remarkable accomplishments that Eric has made to the company over the last nine years.

“I look forward to working with my colleagues at Taiho to ensure that patients continue to benefit from our products now and in the future.”