Takeda has appointed Julie Kim as Representative Director, President and Chief Executive Officer, concluding an 18-month CEO transition. The appointment followed a shareholder vote at the 150th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders held in Osaka, Japan, where she was elected as a new internal director to the Board of Directors. Former President and CEO Christophe Weber retired from the company and the Board upon the conclusion of the meeting.

Masami Iijima, Chair of the Board of Directors Meeting, expressed confidence in Ms. Kim to drive executional excellence as Takeda launches new medicines and grows shareholder value. The Board acknowledged Christophe Weber for his 12 years of service, during which he delivered global scale and an innovative pipeline. Julie Kim brings over three decades of global healthcare experience, having joined Takeda in 2019 through the acquisition of Shire and previously serving as president of the Plasma-Derived Therapies Business Unit and president of the U.S. Business Unit.

Shareholders elected three new external directors to the Board: Bruce Broussard, Koichiro Kimura and Dr. Paul Stoffels. Mr. Broussard offers expertise in the U.S. healthcare system, Mr. Kimura brings experience in geopolitical risk and corporate governance in the Asia-Pacific region, and Dr. Stoffels has a track record in pharmaceutical R&D innovation. Following the Annual Meeting, the Board of Directors and the Audit and Supervisory Committee meetings determined new assignments for directors.

New Board Assignments

Takeda's Board of Directors now comprises 11 members, with eight serving as external directors. An external director will continue to chair the Board of Directors meeting. The Audit and Supervisory Committee, the Nomination Committee and the Compensation Committee are composed solely of external directors, including their chairs.

*Dr. Paul Stoffels is also a Substitute Audit and Supervisory Committee member.

Audit and Supervisory Committee Members

Nomination and Compensation Committees

The Nomination Committee includes Masami Iijima (Chairperson), Steven Gillis and Koichiro Kimura, with Julie Kim serving as an Observer. The Compensation Committee comprises John Maraganore (Chairperson), Masami Iijima, Kimberly A. Reed and Miki Tsusaka.

Takeda today presented additional results from two pivotal Phase 3 studies at SLEEP 2026, demonstrating that oveporexton (TAK-861) improved daily functioning, cognitive symptoms, and nighttime sleep in patients with narcolepsy type 1 (NT1). The data, derived from the FirstLight and RadiantLight studies, support the potential of oveporexton to address the broad disease spectrum driven by orexin deficiency. Regulatory submissions for the drug are currently under review in multiple jurisdictions, including the United States, China, and Japan.

The presentations focused on secondary and exploratory endpoints from the global, multicenter, placebo-controlled studies. FirstLight (TAK-861-3001) evaluated twice-daily doses of 2mg and 1mg against placebo, while RadiantLight (TAK-861-3002) assessed a twice-daily 2mg dose against placebo. The studies enrolled 168 and 105 participants respectively across 19 countries.

Key Findings from Phase 3 Studies

Results indicated statistically significant improvements across multiple domains of patient health at week 12 compared to placebo.

Functional Improvement

Oveporexton significantly improved daily functioning across all six domains of the Functional Impacts of Narcolepsy Instrument (FINI) at all tested doses (p<0.001). Most patients reached or exceeded published normative domain thresholds, indicating an ability to better manage everyday lives. The FINI domains include tiredness, cognitive functioning, cataplexy, social activities, everyday activities, and everyday responsibilities.

Cognitive Symptoms

The drug improved cognitive symptoms associated with NT1, as measured by objective neuropsychological tests and patient-reported measures. Approximately 70% of patients across all doses reported no significant cognitive difficulties on the FINI Cognitive Function domain, compared to approximately 15% in the placebo arm.

Nighttime Sleep Quality

Exploratory endpoints showed improvements in sleep quality. Most patients reported no hallucinations or sleep paralysis. Those on the 2/2mg dose reported meaningful reductions in disturbed nighttime sleep from baseline. Additionally, the timing and pattern of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep shifted toward patterns observed in healthy controls.

Regulatory Status and Next Steps

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the New Drug Application (NDA) for oveporexton and granted Priority Review, with a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) goal date in the third quarter of this calendar year. Submissions are also under review in China and Japan, with additional filings planned throughout the year. Oveporexton is an investigational compound and has not yet been approved for use by any regulatory authority.