Placing Patients, Society at the Heart of Every Decision

Q: What is the scope of Eisai's operations, priorities, and capabilities in Mexico?

A: Eisai is an innovative Japanese pharmaceutical company with over 80 years of global history. After expanding across Asia, the United States and Europe, we established a presence in Mexico 15 years ago, commercializing products locally since 2015. Eisai operates research laboratories in Japan and the United States, developing therapies that we distribute worldwide.

In Mexico, our operations initially focused on oncology, which remains a mature portfolio comprising three established products. These therapies address breast, thyroid, endometrial, renal, and hepatocellular cancers, among others, in some cases, in combination with other therapies. Recently, we launched our Central Nervous System (CNS) business unit, debuting a novel therapy for early-stage Alzheimer's disease developed by Eisai and co-commercialized in Mexico by Eisai and Biogen. In Mexico, we operate on a 50/50 co-promotion structure, where Eisai is the Marketing Authorization Holder and handles import, distribution, and commercial execution. Additionally, we plan to launch an in-house developed insomnia treatment in Mexico in the near future.

Q: How significant is the Mexican market within Eisai’s global framework?

A: The Mexican affiliate belongs to Eisai’s East Asia and Global South (EAGS) region, one of five global regions alongside Japan, China, Americas, and the European Union. Mexico is strategically vital due to its market size and high growth trajectory. The EAGS region operates at a scale comparable to Eisai's operations in the European Union, positioning Mexico as a key anchor market for regional expansion.

Q: How does the human health care (hhc) philosophy shape Eisai's operational culture and compliance principles?

A: human health care (hhc) is not merely a corporate program; it is our core operational philosophy. It dictates that patients, employees, and society remain at the heart of every decision. Globally, Eisai donates substantial quantities of treatments for neglected tropical diseases in underserved regions, such as Sub-Saharan Africa.

Locally, every employee dedicates time annually to directly engage with patients and caregivers to better understand the physical and emotional burdens of disease. Alongside human health care, strict corporate compliance and ethics form the backbone of our operations. As a Japanese entity, maintaining absolute adherence to legal regulations and ethical standards takes precedence over short-term commercial gains.

Q: What strategies is Eisai México implementing to ensure continuous patient access to oncology treatments?

A: Eisai collaborates closely with oncology specialists across public and private healthcare institutions to support patients with advanced stage malignancies. Our focus covers breast, endometrial, thyroid, renal, and hepatocellular carcinomas, among others.

Because the vast majority of Mexican patients rely on the public healthcare sector, our primary strategy centers on partnering with health authorities and institutional decision-makers to incorporate our innovative therapies into national health formularies. We support this through continuous medical education, hosting advisory boards, and sponsoring academic symposiums featuring national and international Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) to keep clinicians informed on the latest clinical data.

Q: How is Eisai balancing its established oncology foundation with the expansion of its new CNS unit?

A: Oncology has provided a solid financial foundation for over a decade, allowing sustained revenue growth and giving the global organization confidence to reinvest in Mexico. This reinvestment enabled the establishment of our CNS unit, starting with our novel treatment for early-stage Alzheimer's disease. 

Alzheimer's presents a profound public health challenge due to underdiagnosis and late-stage detection. By the time clinical symptoms become obvious, therapeutic options are limited. 

Q: What challenges exist around early Alzheimer's diagnosis in Mexico, and how is Eisai addressing them?

A: Early diagnosis remains a critical bottleneck. Diagnostic infrastructure in Mexico is limited, and many specialized tests must be processed abroad, making them expensive and slow. Additionally, early memory loss is frequently misattributed to normal aging rather than recognized as a clinical symptom requiring specialist evaluation.

To overcome these barriers, Eisai and Biogen invest heavily in medical education and digital awareness campaigns focused on early detection. We also operate support programs that subsidize diagnostic testing in the private sector to ease the financial burden. Furthermore, our Alzheimer's therapy recently received its official public health registry code, allowing us to collaborate with public health authorities to secure institutional access across national healthcare systems.

Q: What is the clinical rationale and market strategy behind the introduction of your insomnia treatment?

A: Insomnia is a severe, widespread medical condition affecting nearly 45% of the population, with over 30% experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness that impairs daily productivity. Chronic insomnia is linked to heightened risks of anxiety, depression and other medical conditions.

Despite its high prevalence, safe and specific therapeutic options are limited. Patients often rely on off-label medications, which can cause dependency, tolerance, and non-restorative sleep patterns. Eisai’s upcoming therapy belongs to a new and different therapeutic class with low risk of substance dependency. Having already secured regulatory approval in Mexico, we plan to commercialize this treatment primarily in the private market via prescription. 

Q: What are Eisai México's top operational priorities and strategic objectives for the coming years?

A: Our primary objective is to maintain steady growth in our oncology business, where we treat over 2,500 patients annually across the public and private sectors. With remaining patent protection on our key oncology compounds, we will continue serving as a reliable supplier to health institutions.

Concurrently, we are focused on scaling our CNS business unit. This involves accelerating early Alzheimer's diagnostic pathways in private and public institutions and launching our insomnia therapy in the private sector. To support this dual-pillar strategy, we increased our local headcount last year by 70%, establishing dedicated, specialized medical and commercial teams for CNS alongside our existing oncology structure. Ultimately, our vision is to solidify Eisai's reputation in Mexico as an ethical, patient-centric, and trusted partner to clinicians, health authorities and other stakeholders.