Otsuka restructures US operations

Tokyo, Japan-based Otsuka Pharmaceutical has reorganized its US operations into a single unit called Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, with additional offices in Rockville, Maryland.

Established in January, OPDC was formed by merging two Otsuka organizations, Otsuka Maryland Research Institute and the Global Development & Commercialization Division of Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, and ensures full integration of development and strategic commercial planning activities for the group's drug candidates.

According to the firm, OPDC strategically develops drug candidates from initial discovery of a compound through life-cycle management, preparing a plan that will lead to ultimate global registration, marketing and the full life cycle of the product. It conducts clinical studies in diversified therapeutic areas and is the cornerstone of Otsuka's global drug development and strategic commercial planning efforts. Kazumichi Kobayashi has been named chairman and chief executive of the new organization, and Taro Iwamoto, president and chief operating officer.