WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J., Jan. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Eisai Inc., the U.S. pharmaceutical subsidiary of Eisai Co., Ltd., today announces the immediate appointment of Dr. Richard Woodman as Chief Clinical Officer (CCLO) of its Oncology Business Group. In this role, Dr. Woodman will have full oversight and responsibility for the strategic and operational leadership of the company's global oncology clinical development functions, including clinical research, clinical operations, imaging, medical writing, data services, biostatistics and regulatory strategy. He will also serve as a member of the Oncology Executive Leadership team.

Dr. Woodman, who has 18 years of pharmaceutical experience in several different functional areas at both large and small biotech organizations, will lead the clinical team's development of Eisai's next generation oncology products by managing the design protocols and implementation of all oncology clinical trials. He will also oversee all collaboration development projects with partner companies, as well as interpret the results of all clinical trials in preparation for applications to global regulatory authorities, including the FDA, EMA and PDMA.

"We are pleased to welcome Dr. Woodman to Eisai. His extensive and diverse experience will be very important for the future growth of our oncology business," said Dr. Takashi Owa, Chief Medicine Creation Officer and Chief Discovery Officer of the Oncology Business Group at Eisai Inc. "We are confident he will play a key role in our investigation of multiple modalities, which we hope can harness the potential of the human immune system to benefit the lives of more patients."

Before joining Eisai, Dr. Woodman served as Chief Medical Officer and Head of Research and Development at Onconova Therapeutics, where he was responsible for its late- and early-stage oncology development programs. Before Onconova, he spent 12 years at Novartis, serving as Head of U.S. Oncology Clinical Development and Medical Affairs, after initially holding the position of Franchise Head for Hematology in Global Medical Affairs. Dr. Woodman began his pharmaceutical career as a Senior Medical Director at Johnson & Johnson, where he led the oncology franchise at Ortho Biotech Products, LP.

Prior to his industry tenure, Dr. Woodman spent 12 years in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary, where he held several appointments, including Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Oncology; member of the Immunology Research Group; and Acting Head, Division of Hematology & Hematological Malignancies.

Dr. Woodman completed his hematology/oncology clinical fellowship and postdoctoral research fellowship at Scripps Clinic and Research Institute in the Department of Experimental Medicine. He earned his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) from the University of Calgary.

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 and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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. As a global pharmaceutical company, our mission extends to patients around the world through our investment and participation in 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
Patricia Councill
Eisai Inc. 
551-262-2686
Patricia_Councill@eisai.com

SOURCE Eisai Inc.