Making people smile, one breakthrough at a time

Kyowa Kirin is a Japan-based global speciality pharmaceutical company focused on delivering life-changing value to people living with rare and underserved conditions. With deep expertise in bone and mineral disorders, haematology, oncology, and genetic diseases, the company is tackling some of the most complex challenges in medicine – where the need is greatest and treatment options are few.

 

In a recent interview for Business Reporter’s Best of Global Business, Chairman and CEO Dr Masashi Miyamoto and President and COO Dr Abdul Mullick shared how Kyowa Kirin is blending cutting-edge science with human empathy to reshape the rare disease landscape.

 

“Working in rare disease takes a special kind of commitment,” Dr Mullick reflects. “There’s more failure than success in drug development, and the diagnostic journey for patients can be long, painful and isolating. But that’s exactly why we do it. You need heart, empathy and resilience. What keeps us motivated is the rare disease community itself – their courage, their stories and their trust in us to keep going.”

 

For Kyowa Kirin, patients are not just recipients of care – they’re partners in innovation. From shaping clinical trial designs to co-developing global care guidelines, the company actively listens to patient communities to ensure its science is relevant, responsive and rooted in real-world needs. Collaborations with rare patient communities globally have helped surface insights that traditional research often misses – insights that directly inform research priorities, product development and access strategies.

 

“This human-first approach is underpinned by the company’s Kabegoe philosophy, meaning ‘overcoming barriers’,” explains Dr Miyamoto. “It’s a mindset that guides everything from R&D to leadership, and reflects Kyowa Kirin’s belief that true progress happens when science and compassion move together.”

 

Kyowa Kirin invests more than 20 per cent of its revenue into R&D, with a focus on antibody engineering, gene therapy and AI-powered innovation. Right now, the company is working to engineer the next generation of antibodies and cell and gene therapies with the potential to help people affected by rare diseases. Past breakthroughs in conditions such as X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) are testament to its commitment to tackling diseases others often overlook.

 

Looking ahead, Kyowa Kirin is expanding its global footprint, accelerating digital transformation and embedding sustainability and equity into its operations. But growth, they say, isn’t the goal – it’s impact.

 

“It’s not our intention to be the biggest pharma,” says Dr Mullick. “We don’t judge our success by our size, we judge ourselves by our impact – on society, our communities, our patients and our employees. That’s the way we want to be recognised. Just like Mount Fuji – it’s not the tallest, yet it’s the most instantly recognisable. That’s the kind of company we want to be. A company with unique qualities that cannot be found elsewhere.”

 

In a healthcare landscape under pressure, Kyowa Kirin is proving that purpose and performance aren’t mutually exclusive – they’re mutually reinforcing. And in doing so, it’s not just making medicine. It’s making people smile.

 

Discover Kyowa Kirin: where science meets soul in rare disease innovation.

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