Kyowa Kirin North America, the Bedminster-based unit of Japan’s Kyowa Kirin Co. Ltd., said this week that it is continuing its business integration initiative, merging a pair of units to streamline its structure.
The pharmaceutical company said in a news release that it is merging its Kyowa Kirin Research and Kyowa Kirin Development companies into one business, called Kyowa Kirin Inc., as part of its ongoing North American Business Integration, or NABI, initiative.
The goal of the initiative is a simpler business structure and common set of processes and systems.
“The organizational changes we are making through NABI will help Kyowa Kirin North America deliver the full value of these (pipeline) opportunities,” Gary Zieziula, president of KKNA, said in a prepared statement. “Through NABI, we’re working to enable more efficient collaborations and business support for the functions that discover, develop and deliver first-in-class medicines that can have a profound impact on patients’ lives.”
Meanwhile, the Kyowa Kirin Canada Inc. and BioWa Inc. units will remain in their current form, as subsidiaries of Kyowa Kirin Inc. and Kyowa Kirin USA Holdings Inc., respectively.
“With the integration of the North America-based entities, we will now utilize common processes, systems and documentation to support workflow across functions,” Tara D’Orsi, executive vice president, general counsel and chief compliance officer, KKNA, said in a statement.
The company also announced a series of leadership promotions and appointments, including:
- Britt Byers, senior vice president of human resources;
- Nancy Maher, senior vice president, chief information officer;
- Casilda Barnes, vice president of regulatory affairs;
- Lauren Walrath, vice president of public affairs;
- Doug Grant, general manager, Canada.
