Haruo Naito

Representative Corporate Officer and CEO, Eisai

Search every verified Haruo Naito interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Haruo Naito, CEO of Eisai, delivered a plenary lecture at the CINP 2024 conference titled "Spirit of Drug Discovery." During the lecture, Naito discussed the company's approach to drug development, stating that Eisai decided to return 60% of the total impact of its innovations to the public to support healthcare infrastructure such as Medicare and Medicaid, while retaining 40% as a reward for innovation for shareholders and employees. He emphasized the importance of early clinical studies and the role of project leaders who can make final decisions and remain focused on the project at hand. Naito also addressed questions about Eisai's Alzheimer's drug, which an introductory speaker described as having "changed the game" in the field and being the most sold Alzheimer's drug worldwide for approximately 25 years. In response, Naito affirmed that the target protein, amyloid beta, remains a valid target with strong neurotoxicity, and noted that the antibody's basic characteristics, including a low occurrence of neutralizing antibodies, differentiate it from other antibodies.