Dainippon Sumitomo to set up DSP Cancer Institute

Japanese drug major Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma (TYO: 4506) says it plans to establish a new organization specializing in the oncology area to be called the DSP Cancer Institute and also announced organizational changes.

There has been rapid scientific progress in the research and development of oncology in recent years. Additionally, in this area of high unmet medical needs, more pharmaceutical companies are entering, making competition very intense and this means rapid, flexible decision-making is necessary. For this reason, we decided to establish the DSP Cancer Institute as an organization independent of the Research Division under direct control of the President.

In charge of the DSP Cancer Institute is the president, chief executive and chief medical officer of US biotech company Boston Biomedical, which the Japanese firm acquired earlier this year (The Pharma Letter (March 1), and the head of global oncology for the DSP Group Chiang Li. At the same time as the new establishment of the DSP Cancer Institute, the functions of the existing Global Oncology Business Development Office have been strengthened to provide centralized management of R&D in the oncology area, and management of the DSP Cancer Institute.