World Cancer Day takes on significant meaning at Eisai. In fact, Eisai is not only a drug company – it is, first and foremost, a human health care (hhc) company, always giving our first thought to patients and their families. In addition to our work to innovate and bring cancer drugs to people around the world, we spend time with patients so we can listen to and learn from them to better understand their needs. It is the spotlight on the patient’s life that drew me to work at Eisai in the Oncology team.
As a child, I dreamed of becoming a physician and saving lives. When I started medical school, oncology was only an elective, and it was the only elective I did not take. At that time, there was only a handful of drugs for cancer patients, mainly chemotherapy drugs, and most did little to better patients’ lives. They bought time, but that time was often painful and hopeless. As I grew in my career, so did cancer treatments, and I began seeing hope and innovation – I saw a revolution happening in oncology and I wanted to be a part of it, leading me to become a medical oncologist. Over the years, I have seen the toll that cancer takes on patients and their loved ones on a daily basis, and I have committed my career to fighting cancer. Today I am working in my dream job as part of a team that is breaking through some of the most difficult challenges in the world of cancer research.
It is the dream of anyone in the field of oncology clinical research to work on a study that will lead to a drug approval with the possibility to impact thousands of lives. At Eisai, I have been extremely fortunate to be involved in the development and approval of cancer treatments that have made a tremendous impact on patients’ lives. With our work, I have seen firsthand how we are striving to Close the Care Gap in cancer care, and that is the theme of this year’s World Cancer Day.
Together with my incredible team, we work to develop out-of-the-box strategies to create novel therapeutics in the Eisai oncology pipeline and provide meaningful benefits to our patients. Teamwork is the essence of our success.
In addition to drug development, the Eisai team strives to provide support not only to those who are already fighting cancers, but to those at higher risk for developing certain cancers. Through Eisai’s initiatives like Spot Her, One Liver to Love and Made of More, we hope to arm patients and their loved ones with the resources and information they need to make informed decisions on their treatment journey. Additionally, with our Magnolia Meals at Home program, we aim to alleviate the stress of purchasing and preparing meals for people living with cancer and their families by delivering meals directly to their homes. To date, we have enrolled over 3,400 patients with more than 3,700 family members served, allowing them to spend more time enjoying shared moments with their loved ones. What could be more gratifying?
I am extremely proud to work at Eisai, and there is still a lot of work to be done in our field. We will not stop and will continue to embrace the challenges and strive to tackle patients' unmet medical needs. I am humbled to lead the oncology team, and together we look forward to continuing our efforts to further advance our hhc mission and help people living with cancer by doing our part to Close the Care Gap.