As Nxera Pharma proceeds into the “next era” implied by its name—following a rebrand from Sosei Group last year—the Japanese drugmaker is adding a new executive to help guide its growth plans.
Kiyoshi Kaneko has been named Nxera’s first-ever chief commercial officer, according to an announcement (PDF) this week.
In a statement, Nxera CEO Chris Cargill said Kaneko’s appointment will help the company “maximize our commercial activities in Japan” as it pursues an ongoing goal of becoming one of the country’s leading biopharma businesses.
Kaneko previously spent 15 years at AstraZeneca. He held a variety of leadership roles at the Big Pharma, including senior vice president of its primary care business and, ultimately, senior VP of its commercial organization and corporate strategy in Japan. Since leaving AstraZeneca in 2017, he’s served as president of the Japanese subsidiary of Chinese healthcare conglomerate Luye Life Sciences Group.
“Nxera is uniquely positioning itself in the Japanese pharmaceutical industry, and I’m confident that its foresight and agility will enable the company to capitalize on the major opportunities likely to arise as the industry in Japan accelerates its development,” Kaneko said in the announcement.
Nxera has had its sights set on becoming a leading player in Japan’s pharma industry for quite some time, exemplified in last year’s rebrand, which followed Sosei’s acquisition of Idorsia Pharmaceuticals’ Japan business in 2023.
In its full-year 2024 earnings report (PDF), Cargill touted the company’s “fantastic commercial progress” throughout the year, pointing to the revenue-boosting launch of sleep drug Quviviq in Japan and “significant growth” for cerebral vasospasm Pivlaz in the country in its first full year under Nxera’s ownership.
Cargill also cited advancements in both its partnered and wholly owned pipelines, which comprise therapeutics across areas including neurology, metabolic diseases and immunology.
“Going into 2025, Nxera is well capitalized and very well positioned—with multiple clinical data readouts and other potential catalysts expected during the year—to build on the tremendous work done by our exceptional and dedicated team, as we continue our mission to bring innovative therapies to patients in Japan and around the world,” the chief executive said in the February report.