NORTHBROOK, Ill., Sept. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Astellas today announced the structure and operating model for its global Patient Centricity organization designed to support the development of innovative health solutions through a deep understanding of the patient experience, medical need and behavioral drivers of care.

Under the leadership of Dr. Anthony Yanni, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Patient Centricity, the organization will be comprised of four distinct teams – Medical Intelligence and Patient Insights, Patient Insights and Solutions, the Behavioral Science Consortium and Patient Partnerships – working together to apply unique insights from patients, caregivers, healthcare providers and advocacy partners in considering how to prioritize Astellas resources to the projects with the potential to have the biggest impact on patients' lives:

"Drug development has historically focused exclusively on scientific possibility rather than integrating real-world patient insights – especially in the research space. At Astellas, we've established processes that balance 'Can We?' with 'Should We?'," said Yanni. "To be most-effective, however, integration of the patient perspective must start early in the research and discovery process and be incorporated throughout the continuum through to development and utilization. This comprehensive approach to patient-focused medicines development is what makes Astellas Patient Centricity unique, and I am thrilled with the talent we have attracted and the momentum we have established to make this vision a reality."

As part of the new structure, Yanni announced a leadership team based in the U.S. and the company's global headquarters in Japan, comprised of industry veterans with a deep commitment to innovating based on an intimate understanding of real-world patient needs:

• Joe Collins, Head of Medical Intelligence and Patient Insights: supporting research and development teams with a deep understanding of the exam room dynamic to identify unmet needs in the context of standard of care and the characteristics deemed necessary for successful entry of a new offering into the treatment continuum.
• Deepti Jaggi, Head of Patient Insights and Solutions: providing a clear understanding of the patient, disease and treatment in the real-world setting and delivering insights into patient/practitioner issues and needs to support a holistic approach to care.
• Lisa Mattle, Head of the Behavioral Science Consortium: convening a faculty of global, multi-disciplinary behavioral science experts to address real-world issues negatively impacting patient care and health outcomes. The BSC will provide relevant and actionable insights to inform organizational decisions and identify new opportunities to address comprehensive patient care needs.
• Doug Noland, Head of Patient Partnerships: serving as a common access point for patient insights globally by developing legal, compliant and sustainable methods of interacting with advocacy partners and individual patients.
• Tyler Marciniak, Head of Strategy and Integration: ensuring alignment with overall Astellas strategy, processes and operations, while also working to integrate a patient-centric mindset into the daily activities of every division and every employee worldwide.

"With these leaders, and the many colleagues around the world who have joined Patient Centricity over the past few months, we have now in place a best-in-class team dedicated to ensuring Astellas brings a conscious awareness of the patient to everything we do," said Yanni.

About Astellas
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.com/us. You can also follow us on Twitter at @AstellasUS, Facebook at www.facebook.com/AstellasUS or LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/astellas-pharma-us/.

SOURCE Astellas Pharma Inc.