Eisai has decided to shut down its US oncology research operation H3 by September in the course of restructuring its global R&D organization. The majority of H3 employees will be laid off as Eisai Inc. and new organization DHBL absorb its functions and assets. Meanwhile another Japanese pharma firm, Astellas, builds up its US R&D footprint.

Astellas subsidiary Xyphos will partner with GO to discover novel antibodies against two glycoprotein targets. SciNeuro picks up abandoned GSK programs in cardiovascular medicine for potential use in the neurodegeneration space.

Astellas Pharma US accounts for roughly one-third of the parent company’s annual revenues with a growing focus on immuno-oncology. The unit’s president discusses lessons from the pandemic, racial disparities in health care and business development.