{"id":7856,"date":"2024-08-19T16:00:26","date_gmt":"2024-08-19T23:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rakuten-med.com\/us\/?post_type=press_releases&#038;p=7856"},"modified":"2024-08-19T16:08:20","modified_gmt":"2024-08-19T23:08:20","slug":"rakuten-medical-announces-new-management-team-to-drive-the-next-phase-of-growth-and-innovation","status":"publish","type":"press_releases","link":"https:\/\/rakuten-med.com\/us\/news\/press-releases\/2024\/08\/19\/7856\/","title":{"rendered":"Rakuten Medical Announces New Management Team  to Drive the Next Phase of Growth and Innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pl-7856\"  class=\"panel-layout\" ><div id=\"pg-7856-0\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\"  style=\"margin-bottom: 30px\" ><div id=\"pgc-7856-0-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-7856-0-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"0\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<ul>\n<li><strong><em>Mickey Mikitani, as sole CEO, reaffirms his commitment to the company\u2019s mission of conquering cancer for patients all over the world<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Minami Maeda has been appointed as the new President to expedite pipeline development, with a strategic focus on securing FDA approval for ASP-1929, expanding into broader Asia, and further driving commercial growth in Japan<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><em>A new global Phase 3 clinical trial for ASP-1929 photoimmunotherapy in combination with anti-PD-1 is expected to be initiated in 2H 2024<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Rakuten Medical, Inc., a global biotechnology company developing and commercializing oncology precision, cell-targeting photoimmunotherapy through its proprietary Alluminox\u2122 platform, announces that Hiroshi \u201cMickey\u201d Mikitani now serves as its sole Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman of the Board, and Minami Maeda has been appointed as its new President, effective August 9, 2024. Takashi \u201cTora\u201d Toraishi has chosen to step down from his role as Co-Chief Executive Officer, President and Board Director.<\/p>\n<p>The new management team is set to further advance Rakuten Medical\u2019s Alluminox\u2122 platform and prioritize obtaining FDA approval for ASP-1929 as early as possible. The company\u2019s new global Phase 3 study of ASP-1929 photoimmunotherapy in combination with anti-PD-1 for first-line recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is expected to commence first in the United States in 2H 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Rakuten Medical also aims to extend its reach into Asian markets, where many countries face high unmet medical needs, by leveraging its growing expertise from commercial treatments in Japan. Asia accounts for half of the world\u2019s cancer incidence and has the highest cancer mortality rate<sup>*<\/sup>. Rakuten Medical\u2019s strong track record of commercial success in Japan has generated substantial scientific publications, which the company believes would help support new medical communities\u2019 better understanding of the Alluminox\u2122 platform. In Japan, the company will continue to drive growth and vigorously support the realization of its strategic agenda in the U.S. and Asia.<\/p>\n<p>Mickey Mikitani, Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman of the Board of Rakuten Medical, stated, \u201cThe appointment of Minami as President and the formation of our new management team underscores our unwavering commitment to advancing our innovation for patients in need. We continue striving to advance cancer treatment through our technology platform, and I am fully committed to further driving the company\u2019s vision and strategic direction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am honored to take on this pivotal role at such a critical time for Rakuten Medical,\u201d said Minami Maeda, President of Rakuten Medical. \u201cOur treatment has positively impacted patients\u2019 lives in Japan, as demonstrated by our robust commercial growth there. I am excited to collaborate with our talented team to build an even stronger company and extend our contributions to more patients and broader communities as we continue to pursue our global development efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Since joining Rakuten Medical in November 2017, Maeda has demonstrated outstanding leadership and strategic acumen. Most recently serving as Chief Commercial Officer of Rakuten Medical, Inc., and Representative Director &amp; President of Rakuten Medical K.K., he has significantly contributed to commercial growth and established a scalable business model for the company\u2019s innovative drug-device combination in Japan. His efforts have greatly enhanced the company's global growth and technological advancements. Prior to his tenure at Rakuten Medical, Maeda gained extensive experience in business and public policy through his work at McKinsey &amp; Company\u2019s Tokyo and Johannesburg offices. He also served as Chief of Staff to Japan\u2019s Minister of Health, Labor, and Welfare.<\/p>\n<p>Rakuten Medical extends its gratitude to Toraishi for his strong leadership and contributions since 2017. His tenure has been marked by significant achievements, including the successful development and the world-first approval of ASP-1929 in Japan, and the establishment of a strong foundation for future growth.<\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Disclaimer: Rakuten Medical\u2019s therapies based on Alluminox\u2122 platform are investigational outside of Japan.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>* <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bray F, Laversanne M, Sung H, Ferlay J, Siegel RL, Soerjomataram I, Jemal A. Global cancer statistics 2022: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA Cancer J Clin. 2024 May-Jun;74(3):229-263. doi: 10.3322\/caac.21834. Epub 2024 Apr 4. PMID: 38572751.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-7856-1\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\"  style=\"margin-bottom: 0px\" ><div id=\"pgc-7856-1-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-7856-1-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"1\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<p><b>About Rakuten Medical, Inc.<br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Rakuten Medical, Inc. is a global biotechnology company developing and commercializing precision, cell targeting therapies based on its proprietary Alluminox\u2122 platform, which, in pre-clinical studies, has been shown to induce rapid and selective cell killing and tumor necrosis. Alluminox therapies have not yet been approved outside of Japan. Rakuten Medical is committed to its mission to conquer cancer by delivering its innovative treatments as quickly as possible to as many patients as possible all over the world. The company has offices in 5 countries\/regions, including the United States, where it is headquartered, Japan, Taiwan, Switzerland and India. For more information, visit <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rakuten-med.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">www.rakuten-med.com<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>About Alluminox\u2122 platform<br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Alluminox\u2122 platform is an investigational technology platform based on a cancer therapy called photoimmunotherapy, which was developed by Dr.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hisataka Kobayashi<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">and team from the National Cancer Institute in<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">the United States. Rakuten Medical is developing the Alluminox platform as a technology consisting of a drug, device, and other related components. The drug component of the platform consists of a targeting moiety conjugated with one or more dyes leading to selective cell surface binding.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The device component consists of a light source that locally illuminates the targeted cells with light to transiently activate the drug.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pre-clinical data have shown that this activation elicits rapid and selective necrosis of targeted cells through a biophysical process that compromises the membrane integrity of the targeted cells. Therapies developed on the Alluminox platform may also result in local and systemic innate and adaptive immune activation due to immunogenic cell death of the targeted cancer cells and\/or the removal of targeted immunosuppressive cells within the tumor microenvironment. Outside of<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Japan, Alluminox therapies have not yet been approved by any regulatory authority.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Forward Looking Statements<br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This press release contains forward looking statements that correspond to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include various risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that may cause Rakuten Medical\u2019s business plans and results to differ from the anticipated results and expectations expressed in these statements. These \u201cforward looking statements\u201d contain information about the status and development of our products, including the Alluminox\u2122 platform, as well as other regulatory and marketing authorization efforts, the potential benefits, efficacy, and safety of therapies created using the Alluminox platform, and the status of regulatory filings. The approval and commercial success of the product may not be achieved. Forward looking statements relate to the potential benefits, efficacy, and safety of our therapies, and the status of regulatory filings. Such statements may include words such as \u201cexpect,\u201d \u201cbelieve,\u201d \u201chope,\u201d \u201cestimate,\u201d \u201clooks as though,\u201d \u201canticipate,\u201d \u201cintend,\u201d \u201cmay,\u201d \u201csuggest,\u201d \u201cplan,\u201d \u201cstrategy,\u201d \u201cwill,\u201d and \u201cdo\u201d, and are based on our current beliefs. In addition, this press release uses terms such as \u201cimportant,\u201d \u201cnotable,\u201d and \u201cabnormal\u201d to express opinions about clinical trial data. Ongoing clinical trial studies include various risks and uncertainties, in particular, problems that arise during the manufacturing stage of our therapies, the occurrence of adverse safety events, situations in failure to demonstrate therapeutic benefits, and other various risks and uncertainties, both reasonable and unreasonable. For this reason, actual results, including regulatory approvals and uncertainties in the commercialization process of our therapies, may differ from published information. Except to the extent required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update this or any other forward-looking statement, whether because of new information, future developments or events, changes in assumptions, changes in the factors affecting forward-looking statements. If one or more forward-looking statement(s) is updated, no inference should be drawn that additional updates will be made to those or other forward-looking statements.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.prnewswire.com\/news-releases\/rakuten-medical-announces-new-management-team-to-drive-the-next-phase-of-growth-and-innovation-302225331.html?tc=eml_cleartime\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PR Newswire<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-7856-2\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-7856-2-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-7856-2-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-button panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"2\" ><div style=\"padding: 30px 0px 0px 0px;\" class=\"panel-widget-style panel-widget-style-for-7856-2-0-0\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-button so-widget-sow-button-flat-6fd36f18507f-7856\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t><div class=\"ow-button-base ow-button-align-center\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/rakuten-med.com\/us\/contact\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"rakuten-btn sowb-button ow-icon-placement-left ow-button-hover\" \t>\n\t\t<span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tContact Us\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mickey Mikitani, as sole CEO, reaffirms his commitment to the company\u2019s mission of conquering cancer for patients all over the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-7856","1":"press_releases","2":"type-press_releases","3":"status-publish","5":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Rakuten Medical Announces New Management Team to Drive the Next Phase of Growth and Innovation - Rakuten Medical - To conquer cancer.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/rakuten-med.com\/us\/news\/press-releases\/2024\/08\/19\/7856\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rakuten Medical Announces New Management Team to Drive the Next Phase of Growth and Innovation - Rakuten Medical - To conquer cancer.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Mickey Mikitani, as sole CEO, reaffirms his commitment to the company\u2019s mission of conquering cancer for patients all over the [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/rakuten-med.com\/us\/news\/press-releases\/2024\/08\/19\/7856\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rakuten Medical - To conquer cancer.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-08-19T23:08:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/rakuten-med.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/02\/RakutenMedical_KV.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rakuten-med.com\\\/us\\\/news\\\/press-releases\\\/2024\\\/08\\\/19\\\/7856\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rakuten-med.com\\\/us\\\/news\\\/press-releases\\\/2024\\\/08\\\/19\\\/7856\\\/\",\"name\":\"Rakuten Medical Announces New Management Team to Drive the Next Phase of Growth and Innovation - Rakuten Medical - To conquer cancer.\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rakuten-med.com\\\/us\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-08-19T23:00:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-08-19T23:08:20+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rakuten-med.com\\\/us\\\/news\\\/press-releases\\\/2024\\\/08\\\/19\\\/7856\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/rakuten-med.com\\\/us\\\/news\\\/press-releases\\\/2024\\\/08\\\/19\\\/7856\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rakuten-med.com\\\/us\\\/news\\\/press-releases\\\/2024\\\/08\\\/19\\\/7856\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rakuten-med.com\\\/us\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Rakuten Medical Announces New Management Team to Drive the Next Phase of Growth and Innovation\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rakuten-med.com\\\/us\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rakuten-med.com\\\/us\\\/\",\"name\":\"Rakuten Medical - To conquer cancer.\",\"description\":\"Rakuten Medical, Inc. is a global biotechnology company developing precision, cell-targeting investigational therapies on its Alluminox\u2122TM technology platform. We are committed to our mission to conquer cancer and aim to achieve a society where cancer patients can lead fulfilling lives.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rakuten-med.com\\\/us\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Rakuten Medical Announces New Management Team to Drive the Next Phase of Growth and Innovation - Rakuten Medical - To conquer cancer.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/rakuten-med.com\/us\/news\/press-releases\/2024\/08\/19\/7856\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Rakuten Medical Announces New Management Team to Drive the Next Phase of Growth and Innovation - Rakuten Medical - To conquer cancer.","og_description":"Mickey Mikitani, as sole CEO, reaffirms his commitment to the company\u2019s mission of conquering cancer for patients all over the [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/rakuten-med.com\/us\/news\/press-releases\/2024\/08\/19\/7856\/","og_site_name":"Rakuten Medical - To conquer cancer.","article_modified_time":"2024-08-19T23:08:20+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1500,"height":900,"url":"https:\/\/rakuten-med.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/02\/RakutenMedical_KV.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/rakuten-med.com\/us\/news\/press-releases\/2024\/08\/19\/7856\/","url":"https:\/\/rakuten-med.com\/us\/news\/press-releases\/2024\/08\/19\/7856\/","name":"Rakuten Medical Announces New Management Team to Drive the Next Phase of Growth and Innovation - Rakuten Medical - To conquer cancer.","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/rakuten-med.com\/us\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-08-19T23:00:26+00:00","dateModified":"2024-08-19T23:08:20+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/rakuten-med.com\/us\/news\/press-releases\/2024\/08\/19\/7856\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/rakuten-med.com\/us\/news\/press-releases\/2024\/08\/19\/7856\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/rakuten-med.com\/us\/news\/press-releases\/2024\/08\/19\/7856\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/rakuten-med.com\/us\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Rakuten Medical Announces New Management Team to Drive the Next Phase of Growth and Innovation"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/rakuten-med.com\/us\/#website","url":"https:\/\/rakuten-med.com\/us\/","name":"Rakuten Medical - To conquer cancer.","description":"Rakuten Medical, Inc. is a global biotechnology company developing precision, cell-targeting investigational therapies on its Alluminox\u2122TM technology platform. We are committed to our mission to conquer cancer and aim to achieve a society where cancer patients can lead fulfilling lives.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/rakuten-med.com\/us\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rakuten-med.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases\/7856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rakuten-med.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rakuten-med.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press_releases"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rakuten-med.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rakuten-med.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}