Takeda

Takeda is a global, research-driven biopharmaceutical company with a major presence in Cambridge. The company develops and markets medicines in areas including oncology, rare diseases, neuroscience, gastroenterology and plasma-derived therapies. Recent milestones include first-in-class treatments for polycythemia vera, a chronic blood cancer, and for narcolepsy type 1, as well as late-stage work on an oral psoriasis treatment, zasocitinib, which outperformed a competing pill in head-to-head Phase 3 results.

Takeda traces its roots to Osaka, Japan, where it was founded in 1781 as a seller of traditional medicines, and it remains headquartered in Japan. Its acquisition of Shire in 2019 greatly expanded its footprint in Massachusetts, and its research center in Cambridge serves as a global hub. The company describes its mission as Better Health and a Brighter Future, and it publishes updates on its science, patient stories and corporate social responsibility work, including employee-selected programs focused on climate-resilient health systems.

What to Know

• Takeda’s shares trade on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange.
• The company runs a plasma-derived therapy business with a stated focus on quality and safety.
• Its narcolepsy medicine was discovered in Takeda’s labs in Shonan, Japan.
• Takeda is listed with the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce.