WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J., May 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Eisai Inc., the U.S. pharmaceutical subsidiary of Eisai Co., Ltd., today announced the immediate appointment of Dr. Luca Dezzani as Vice President, U.S. Medical Affairs, Oncology Business Group. He will be responsible for creating the Medical Affair's strategy for the company's oncology portfolio of both commercialized and investigational products in the United States. He will also oversee Eisai's Health Economics & Outcomes Research (HEOR), Medical Science Liaisons (MSL) and Medical Information & Education teams.

"I am delighted to welcome Dr. Dezzani to Eisai to lead our U.S. Oncology Medical Affairs team," said Dr. Kirk Shepard, Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Medical Affairs for the Oncology Business Group. "He comes to Eisai at an extraordinary time, as we dedicate our efforts towards the investigation of multiple modalities that we hope will harness the potential of the human immune system to result in more immunology in oncology, and, ultimately, benefit more patients."

Dr. Dezzani joins Eisai from Novartis Oncology, where he held senior medical roles in Europe and the United States. His experience ranges across multiple disease areas in hematology and oncology, as well as rare diseases. He obtained his Medical Doctor (M.D.) degree from the University of Pavia in Italy, where he also completed his residency in internal medicine with specialized training in hematology and oncology.

"Eisai has the potential to transform cancer care, thanks to its innovative products, unique pipeline, and focus on immuno-modulation, which could play a crucial role in how we treat cancer and in improving outcomes for patients," said Dr. Dezzani. "A modern and committed Medical Affairs department is instrumental in succeeding for patients, and I'm honored and excited to be joining Eisai in this journey."

Over the past three decades, Eisai has been committed to the discovery and development of small molecules for the treatment of various difficult-to-treat cancers. Eisai's current focus in oncology centers on tumor microenvironment modulation, the inhibition of pathways that inactivate the immune system, and cancer genomics. To learn more about Eisai's global oncology business, please visit Eisai.com.

Eisai will be showcasing its robust pipeline at the 2019 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago from May 31 - June 4, where the company will present 11 posters across multiple tumor types, including endometrial carcinoma.

About Eisai Inc.
At Eisai Inc., human health care (hhc) is our goal. We give our first thoughts to patients and their families, and helping to increase the benefits health care provides. As the U.S. pharmaceutical subsidiary of Tokyo-based Eisai Co., Ltd., we have a passionate commitment to patient care that is the driving force behind our efforts to discover and develop innovative therapies to help address unmet medical needs.

Eisai is a fully integrated pharmaceutical business that operates in two global business groups: oncology and neurology (dementia-related diseases and neurodegenerative diseases). Our U.S. headquarters, commercial and clinical development organizations are located in New Jersey; our discovery labs are in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania; and our global demand chain organization resides in Maryland and North Carolina. To learn more about Eisai Inc., please visit us at www.eisai.com/US.

About Eisai Co., Ltd
Eisai Co., Ltd. is a leading global research and development-based pharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan. We define our corporate mission as "giving first thought to patients and their families and to increasing the benefits health care provides," which we call our human health care (hhc) philosophy. With over 10,000 employees working across our global network of R&D facilities, manufacturing sites, and marketing subsidiaries, we strive to realize our hhc philosophy by delivering innovative products in various therapeutic areas with high unmet medical needs, including Neurology and Oncology.

Furthermore, we invest and participate in several partnership-based initiatives to improve access to medicines in developing and emerging countries.

For more information about Eisai Co., Ltd., please visit www.eisai.com.

Media Inquiries                                                                 
Michele Randazzo                                                 
Eisai Inc.                                                              
201-746-2979      

SOURCE Eisai Inc.