Takeda Appoints Former CRISPR CMO Phuong Khanh (PK) Morrow to Lead Oncology R&D Amidst Pipeline Pruning

Japan's largest drugmaker, Takeda Pharma (TYO: 4502), has announced the appointment of Dr. Phuong Khanh (PK) Morrow as the head of the Oncology Therapeutic Area Unit, effective January 29, 2024. Dr. Morrow previously served as chief medical officer (CMO) at CRISPR Therapeutics (Nasdaq: CRSP) and was instrumental in bringing the first CRISPR gene editing medicine, Casgevy (exagamglogene autotemcel), to market.

This executive change follows Takeda's decision to strengthen its focus on core therapeutic and business areas by trimming four oncology programs from its R&D pipeline, including a midphase immunocytokine and three early-stage CAR-T cell therapy prospects. Chris Arendt, Ph.D., who previously held the position, has transitioned to become Takeda's chief scientific officer and head of research.

Dr. Morrow brings decades of oncology and hematology experience to her new role, having previously spent over 10 years at Amgen before joining CRISPR, and she also served a four-year stint as the industry representative to the FDA's oncology drug advisory committee.

The new appointment and R&D streamlining align with Takeda's commitment to providing life-transforming treatments, focusing on areas of gastrointestinal and inflammation, rare diseases, plasma-derived therapies, oncology, neuroscience, and vaccines.