Otsuka Announces Retirement of President & Chief Executive Officer William H. Carson, M.D.

PRINCETON, N.J., Nov. 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. (OPDC) today announced that effective January 1, 2020, its long-time President and CEO William H. Carson, M.D. will retire from the company's operational leadership. Dr. Carson will transition to Chairman of the OPDC Board of Directors, as well as spearhead Otsuka philanthropic initiatives to be announced in 2020.

"Bill is a beloved leader at Otsuka and has been a driving catalyst behind the company's rapid growth in the years following Otsuka's establishment of a development organization in the U.S. more than 30 years ago," said Kabir Nath, president & CEO, North America Pharmaceutical Business. "As founder of the Princeton Aripiprazole Unit, responsible for the development and commercialization of ABILIFY^® (aripiprazole) with our collaborator Bristol-Myers Squibb, and one of the original leaders of OPDC, Bill has advanced the treatment of mental health for millions of people worldwide. As Chairman of the OPDC Board of Directors, Bill will continue to contribute his unparalleled knowledge and provide strategic guidance to the company."

Dr. Carson joined Otsuka in 2002 as a board-certified psychiatrist. During his tenure, Dr. Carson has helped OPDC realize the promise of various compounds, leading the way from clinical trials to commercialization of products that include SAMSCA^® (tolvaptan), ABILIFY MAINTENA^® (aripiprazole), REXULTI^® (brexpiprazole), JYNARQUE^® (tolvaptan) and ABILIFY MYCITE^® (aripiprazole tablets with sensor). Additionally, Dr. Carson successfully led the organization through a series of transformational changes and globalized numerous functions, including Clinical Development, Safety & Pharmacovigilance, Regulatory Affairs, Quality, and Data Protection. He received an A.B. degree in history and science from Harvard University and a Doctor of Medicine degree from Case Western Reserve University.

"I am eternally grateful to Otsuka for the opportunity to spend a significant portion of my career helping people living with mental illness," said Dr. Carson. "Along the way, I have had the good fortune of working with so many dedicated, talented professionals who shared the same vision and ideals to help make a difference. I am truly excited about the next phase of my career, which will allow me to continue working with Otsuka and pursue other professional interests." Dr. Carson is also on the Board of Trustees of Internet2, and he is Board Chair Emeritus of the Sphinx Organization.

In preparation for his new role within Otsuka, Dr. Carson has been working with Christoph Koenen, M.D., OPDC senior vice president & chief medical officer, to transition operational leadership of the organization. Dr. Koenen will continue to work in partnership with the OPDC Global Strategy and Business Development organization led by Robert McQuade, Ph.D., executive vice president/chief strategic officer, and will report directly to Mr. Nath.

About Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. is a global healthcare company with the corporate philosophy: "Otsuka–people creating new products for better health worldwide." Otsuka researches, develops, manufactures and markets innovative products, with a focus on pharmaceutical products to meet unmet medical needs and nutraceutical products for the maintenance of everyday health.

In pharmaceuticals, Otsuka is a leader in the challenging areas of mental, renal and cardiovascular health and has additional research programs in oncology and on several under-addressed diseases including tuberculosis, a significant global public health issue. These commitments illustrate how Otsuka is a "big venture" company at heart, applying a youthful spirit of creativity in everything it does.

Otsuka established a presence in the U.S. in 1973 and today its U.S. affiliates include Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. (OPDC) and Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. (OAPI). These two companies' 1,700 employees in the U.S. develop and commercialize medicines in the areas of mental health, nephrology and cardiology, using cutting-edge technology to address unmet healthcare needs. Otsuka's most recently approved product in the U.S. is the first-ever treatment for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, a genetic disorder in which fluid-filled cysts develop in the kidneys over time, often leading to kidney failure.

OPDC and OAPI are indirect subsidiaries of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Company, Ltd., which is a subsidiary of Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd. headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The Otsuka group of companies employed 47,000 people worldwide and had consolidated sales of approximately USD 11.7 billion in 2018.

All Otsuka stories start by taking the road less travelled. Learn more about Otsuka in the U.S. at www.otsuka-us.com and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter at @OtsukaUS. Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.'s global website is accessible at www.otsuka.co.jp/en/.

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SOURCE Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.