Message from the President
Over the years, one guiding principle I have consistently valued is: “Delivering the right drug to the right patients with the right information.”
I believe this concept should be at the heart of every life-cycle of drug development—from research and clinical trials to commercialization—and be applied not only to scientific data but also to strategic business decision-making.
The probability of success in new drug development is astonishingly low. Even after selecting promising compounds, only a fraction can reach clinical trials, and fewer still succeed to complete clinical development. Accordingly, regulatory agencies in the U.S. and Europe approve only around 50 new active substances annually.
I have been privileged to witness the successful delivery of new medicines to patients. Yet, I have also seen how even the most promising candidates can face sudden setbacks during pre-clinical and clinical phases. In those moments, timely scientific insights and agile business adjustments are essential. In collaborative efforts, the expertise and passion of the partner are vital—and choosing the right partner is paramount.
As the center of pharmaceutical innovation has shifted from large corporations to startups globally, Japan must embrace this transformation as well. With deep experience and a strong commitment, I aim to support domestic biotech ventures, and also to contribute to resolving drug loss by helping international startups in their efforts to introduce their programs into Japan with/without starting local business operation.
Representative Profile
The representative has extensive experience in pharmaceutical R&D, alliance management, and business development. Their career evolved into leadership roles in global product launches, strategic licensing, and early-stage clinical development, particularly in antiviral therapeutics at a R&D focused pharmaceutical division of a leading Japanese conglomerate. Later, as head of the business development department, they managed global licensing agreements and partnerships with major pharmaceutical companies in the U.S. and Europe for multiple in-house pipeline assets.
Since 2016, they have held leadership roles in alliance management and business development at leading U.S. biotech and European pharmaceutical companies, focusing on partnerships with Japanese firms, contract negotiations, and search & evaluation of external technologies/assets across Japan and the Asia-Pacific region. From 2021, they joined a top Japanese pharmaceutical company, where they led open innovation initiatives, incubation of internal and external seed assets, and support for venture investments. During this time, they also served as a board member for a portfolio biotech companies.
In March 2025, they founded their own company, leveraging their broad expertise and network to support Japanese biotech startups and assist international startups into Japan. They also serve as an evaluation committee member for the Toyama Pharmaceutical Consortium and hold national license for Small and Medium Enterprise Management Consultant, among others.
Company Profile
- Company Name
- ReachMed Partners LLC
- Established
- March 2025
- Location
- Kamakura-City, Kanagawa, Japan
- Capital
- JPY 3,000,000
- President
- Masanori Sato
