NORTHBROOK, Ill., Oct. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Astellas US LLC ("Astellas"), a subsidiary of Astellas Pharma Inc. based in Tokyo, Japan, welcomes Jeffrey Winton as senior vice president, chief communications officer. Winton will report to Masao Yoshida, CEO, Astellas.  In this newly created position, Winton will have responsibility for corporate brand and reputation management in the Americas.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131030/CG07002)

"I am pleased to add Jeff to our senior management team at Astellas," said Yoshida. "Jeff brings with him the broad industry expertise and experience we are looking for to help propel the Astellas brand in the Americas."

Winton has more than 30 years of communications experience in the pharmaceutical industry and has successfully led large, global teams. Most recently, Winton was the Vice President/Head, Global Communications and member of Global Corporate Affairs Leadership Team at Eli Lilly and Company.  In this role, his responsibilities included CEO/executive communications, corporate/financial communications, government and policy communications, business communications and employee engagement. Prior to his tenure at Eli Lilly, Winton held senior communications roles at major global pharmaceutical companies such as Schering-Plough and Pharmacia. Winton holds a Bachelor of Science degree in life sciences from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

About Astellas

Astellas US LLC, located in Northbrook, Illinois, is an affiliate of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc. Astellas is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products. For more information on Astellas, please visit our website at www.astellas.us.

SOURCE Astellas US, LLC