In R&D, we utilize our excellent staff and technologies that have been cultivated over many years as a prescription pharmaceutical company to continuously develop innovative new drugs that have true value to patients. We focus on R&D fields where we can best use our experience, technologies and foundations – namely, the immune system, the nervous system and infectious diseases – while exploring new fields and new modalities with eyes to the future. In recent years, we have been working to improve our expertise and introduce the latest technologies. For example, we increased our R&D efficiency by engaging in outsourcing, and have expanded and integrated our R&D resources to take on the challenge of entering new fields of research. In addition, we are sending our researchers to research institutions in Japan and abroad.
Going forward, we will make use of AI and big data in drug discovery, step up external collaboration, and utilize clinical trial simulations and real-world data in order to increase our speed and success rates, which is the greatest challenge in new drug development. Collaboration between drug discovery, clinical development and medical affairs operations will enable us to identify medical needs at an early stage and create a stream of distinctive new drugs that are easier for patients to use.
Development Pipeline
Click here to view the progress of our pipeline as of August 7, 2026.
Long-Term Business Plan 2031
Vision and Overview of R&D Strategy
- Utilize KAKEN’s own R&D base
- Expand into new therapeutic areas
- Take on the challenge of new modalities
- Actively invest in R&D
- Utilize process innovation and achieve higher efficiency to shorten length of R&D
- Diversify approaches to increase success rates
- Increase the number of licensed products
- Use external resources in early-stage development
- Seek new indications and drug repositioning
- Identify original targets that address unmet medical needs
- Promote R&D aimed at overseas clinical development
- Select modalities and take on the challenge of regenerative medicine
- Consider digital therapeutics in orthopedics and dermatology
- Secure pipelines capable of launching eight new products over the 10 years of the plan (maintain at least eight pipelines in Phase I or later phases at any given time).
- Secure at least one new licensed product or new marketing alliance every year expanding global products as target.
Presentation Materials
R&D Briefing
| Date | Materials |
|---|---|
| December 10, 2025 |
R&D Briefing Materials 5,570KB R&D Briefing Materials【Script(including Q&A)】 5,580KB |
Please refer to the Financial Results for the latest R&D progress.