Eisai Inc., the U.S. pharmaceutical subsidiary of Eisai Co., Ltd., has announced the immediate appointment of Kirk Shepard, MD, as Senior Vice President, Global Medical Affairs of the Oncology Business Group. Dr. Shepard will be responsible for creating and overseeing Eisai's global oncology medical strategies for the Commercial and Market Access businesses.
Dr. Shepard, who has over 30 years of experience in the oncology field, will lead the company's Global Oncology Medical Affairs function. He will be responsible for the overall strategic and operational leadership of the Oncology Business Group's medical affairs activities, including but not limited to the global strategic life cycle management of Eisai's existing oncology portfolio of commercialized products, real world evidence trials, investigator initiated trials, and the company's continued medical education and medical information programs. He will serve as the medical leader and expert resource to the Medical Affairs teams globally and other cross-functional stakeholders ensuring effective portfolio and resource optimization.
"Based on his extensive global experience in medical strategy and supportive tactics for the portfolio of commercialized brands, life cycle management and assistance in the launch of products, Dr. Shepard will be a tremendous asset for Eisai," said Terushige Iike, President of Eisai's Oncology Business Group. "We are confident that he will play a key role in the growth of Eisai's oncology business worldwide."
Dr. Shepard joins Eisai from Shire Pharmaceuticals, where he served as Senior Vice President & Head, Global Medical Affairs following the company's acquisition of Baxalta US, Inc. (formerly Bioscience Baxter Healthcare Corporation) in June 2016. During his four-plus year tenure with Shire and Baxalta, Dr. Shepard was in charge of leading the life cycle management of the company's oncology, neurology, hemophilia, hematology and immunology products, as well as biosimilars. Key activities included overseeing the publication planning process for scientific review and approval of abstracts and manuscripts prior to submission; developing strategic objectives with the regional directors; and the conducting and reporting of supplemental data analyses from company-sponsored studies to support treatment guidelines, clinical decision making, and label enhancements. Prior to Baxalta, Dr. Shepard served as Senior Vice President, Global Medical Affairs at Takeda Pharmaceuticals International for over four years. Dr. Shepard began his pharmaceutical career with Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals (formerly Roxane Labs, Inc.), where he spent 17 years in roles at the vice president and senior vice president level.
Dr. Shepard received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Cincinnati Medical School, which included an internal medicine residency at Case Western Reserve University and an oncology and hematology fellowship at the University of Chicago Hospitals and Clinics. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University.
Over the course of his career, Dr. Shepard has had more than 50 medical publications in journals and books. He currently serves as President of the Medical Affairs Professional Society. In 2015, he was selected as one of the 100 Most Inspiring People in the Pharmaceutical Industry by PharmaVOICE.