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Daiichi Sankyo Statement on the Passing of Toshinori Agatsuma, PhD

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December 09, 2024

Tokyo, Japan – (December 9, 2024) – Daiichi Sankyo issued the following statement from Sunao Manabe, Executive Chairperson and CEO of Daiichi Sankyo about the sudden passing of Dr. Agatsuma on December 5, 2024:

“All of us at Daiichi Sankyo are deeply saddened by the news of the sudden passing of Toshinori Agatsuma, PhD, Executive Officer, Head of Research, who was part of our Executive Management Committee. Dr. Agatsuma was a true scientific trailblazer who passionately believed that antibody-based therapies were the future of medicine, which sparked the transformation of Daiichi Sankyo into a global company with competitive advantage in oncology. We are fortunate that Dr. Agatsuma joined Daiichi Sankyo in 1991 and led a team of researchers that invented our proprietary antibody drug conjugate (ADC) technology, which formed the foundation of our HER2 directed ADC and numerous other ADCs we have in various stages of research and development.

While Dr. Agatsuma’s presence will be missed by the thousands of Daiichi Sankyo employees he touched throughout his career as a scientist, craftsperson, mentor, and friend, we will continue to honor his legacy through continuous discovery and delivery of innovative medicines that change the standard of care for as many patients as possible around the world.

Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family, friends, and all those whose lives have been touched by Dr. Agatsuma.

With Dr. Agatsuma’s passing, Dr. Wataru Takasaki, who is currently Senior Adviser will manage Dr. Agatsuma’s responsibilities until we determine the next steps for the Head of Research position.”

About Daiichi Sankyo

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.