The Company will proactively expedite its R&D activities, further focusing on the neurology, oncology and vascular and immunology response areas where there are many unmet medical needs, to bring out new efficacious, safe, and economic cost-effective pharmacological treatments.
We will aggressively and strategically continue to acquire products as well as companies that have advanced technologies. We will also consider forming strategic alliances with such companies and implementing joint research with external institutions to expand our product portfolio and enhance our technical capacity.
In the neurology area, we aim to develop new drugs for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, and make steady progress on research of other diseases in the central nervous system area that include epilepsy and neuropathic pain. For Alzheimer's disease, in particular, we will expedite research and development with multiple approaches that include the development of low-molecular chemical compounds, immunotherapy with antibody drugs or vaccines, and causative gene research to seek a causal therapy for the disease.
Through multiple approaches, we are striving for the development of a wide variety of anti-cancer drugs, including low molecular compounds that hinder proliferation of cancer cells or inhibit angiogenesis, antibody drugs, and therapeutic DNA vaccines. In addition, we are expanding our portfolio in supportive care medication for patients with cancer. We will expedite proactively the research and development in the oncology area.

The Company has defined its R&D activities as “Product Creation” and is shifting to a new organization to promote product creation.
The new system consists of the Production Creation Units (PCUs), the Core Function Units (CFUs), and the CEO office.
The PCUs, which comprise six units, such as oncology, neurology, etc., take full responsibility for conducting the series of processes ranging from discovery of innovative drug candidates through NDA filing and obtaining approval. The CFUs, which also comprise six units, such as CMC, DMPK/TOX, etc., take full responsibility for obtaining or maintaining world-class functional capabilities in the core functions of preclinical and clinical operations, technology, and regulatory affairs as well as promoting new drug development as an equal partner to the PCUs. A total of 13 units, including the KAN Research Institute (Hyogo Prefecture), which specializes in life science research that is fundamental for drug discovery as well as in antibody research, make up the framework for interactive and collaborative work to create new products. The CEO office is responsible for Product Creation Structure, Corporate Portfolio Management, and milestone review.
With the new framework, the Company aspires to become more patient-oriented in product creation.
The objective of the Company is to understand the emotions and realities of patients as well as to improve the quality of life of patients for both apparent and latent problems by providing innovative treatments. To that end, the Company is building an organization with clear responsibilities in an autonomous environment that is specialized in each disease or technology to encourage a sense of ownership and motivate employees to increase their productivity and efficiency. Under the new framework, the Company aims for early creation of novel, innovative drugs for unmet medical needs or that improve the quality of life of patients.