Company Profile: Daiichi Sankyo

Daiichi Sankyo
Sunao Manabe
Tokyo, Japan
2005, following a merger of Sankyo Co., Ltd. and Daiichi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., founded in 1899 and 1915 respectively.
19,000 nationwide
*Disclaimer: This article has been developed and funded by Daiichi Sankyo.
Daiichi Sankyo has more than 120 years of experience and scientific expertise. In 2019, they entered the oncology market in the UK, through a ground-breaking collaboration with AstraZeneca.
Over five years on, Daiichi Sankyo has an established presence in the UK, a growing oncology pipeline with treatments in clinical development across multiple types of cancer, and a second collaboration with MSD.
We sat down with Haran Maheson, Vice President & Head of Oncology at Daiichi Sankyo UK, to find out more about the company’s rapid growth, their vision to transform cancer care in the UK, and aspirations for the future of oncology.
The cornerstone of our success is linked to our scientific pedigree and our unwavering commitment to the patient. Having world-class science and technology as our prized asset ensures we can deliver for patients and push the boundaries of how cancer is treated. Pushing boundaries was our mission then, and it remains so today.
I joined Daiichi Sankyo coincidentally at around the same week we agreed our alliance with AstraZeneca, which was an exciting time of change for the business and personally.
The oncology business unit was in its infancy. We were a team of four in the UK and, while we had investigative medicines that held promise, we knew we needed a robust strategy, a dedicated team, a well thought-out structure, and a clear vision to realise our potential that would maximise the impact of our medicines for patients.
Daiichi Sankyo is a company with more than a hundred years of history. However, we’re new to oncology, which has required us to have the confidence of an established player, but with the agility and psychology of a start-up company. Success hinges on the right people, and the right culture - we prioritised recruitment and retention of the brightest and best talent. Building an oncology team from scratch requires agility, commitment, excellence in all we do, and a passion for making a difference in patients' lives. Everyone in the team continues to have the same values and is committed to delivering the best outcomes for patients, as well as working in a collaborative, psychologically safe environment.
Almost six years on, we're one of the fastest growing oncology companies in the world. We continue to drive forward with this approach supporting patients with cancer in the UK, and around the world.
The challenge of cancer is bigger than all of us. The life sciences industry can be much more impactful by working together and diversifying efforts. Innovative science and change thrive on diversity. The results of our collaborations speak for themselves.
Our goals in oncology drove us to find industry-leading partners that can produce genuine change. It led us to collaborating with two of the biggest oncology companies in the world: AstraZeneca and, most recently, MSD.
While we are still relatively new to oncology as a company, we bring cutting-edge science to the space. Our collaborations enable us to achieve immediate scale with two companies that have exceptional oncology experience and pedigree. The partnerships also represent a great endorsement of the quality of our portfolio and our aligned commitment to bringing innovative new cancer treatments to market.
Collaboration has always been deeply ingrained in our culture at Daiichi Sankyo and continues to be an integral part of our oncology strategy. We are immensely proud that our science is enabling our partners to reach the potential of their medicines or portfolios.
Our success is rooted in our ability to adapt to the dynamic health environment, embrace innovative approaches and be laser-focused on what future cancer treatment could look like.
We are specialists in developing precision medicines in oncology. Our strong track record of developing antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) has allowed us to build a successful portfolio of treatments in breast and lung cancer, two of the most common cancers and biggest killers in our society.
Precision medicines like ADCs will be crucial to unlocking real transformation in cancer outcomes in the UK. Key to this ambition is a supportive medicines access environment, together with timely and equitable access to biomarker testing through the NHS.
We have achieved considerable success, allowing us to deliver real change for the people that matter most, but we are not complacent. We know that there is still more to be done, and our goals do not change. We want to be a core part of the progress as innovations in cancer continue to grow. We continue to want a future where we can outsmart cancer.
Looking ahead, we are poised to be a dynamic force in cancer care in the UK. As the healthcare ecosystem becomes more complex, we know that now more than ever we need to focus on agility and innovation to ensure that we support as many eligible patients as possible to reap the immense benefit from our medicines.
Delivering on our ambition for patients will not always be an easy road. NICE's decision not to recommend one of our treatments for routine use in the UK has been devastating for patients, but we remain committed to working with NICE to find a way forward for patients.
We are confident that our heritage, success in the last six years, and the talent of our people will help to further establish Daiichi Sankyo as a trusted partner in UK oncology.
Haran Maheson is Vice President & Head of Oncology, Daiichi Sankyo UK. He has considerable experience working in oncology in the pharmaceutical industry across sales, marketing, and management. He is passionate about bringing innovative oncology medicines to the market, ensuring UK patients get access to and benefit from the best treatments in the world.
Daiichi Sankyo is an innovative global healthcare company contributing to the sustainable development of society that discovers, develops and delivers new standards of care to enrich the quality of life around the world. With more than 120 years of experience, Daiichi Sankyo leverages its world-class science and technology to create new modalities and innovative medicines for people with cancer, cardiovascular and other diseases with high unmet medical need. For more information, please visit www.daiichisankyo.com. UK/ONP/01/25/0017 | January 2025