Nxera Pharma Proposes Changes to its Board of Directors
- Mr. Takeo Morooka nominated for appointment as new External Director
- Ms. Miwa Seki and Mr. Noriaki Nagai to retire from the Board of Directors
Tokyo, Japan and Cambridge, UK, 13 February 2026 – Nxera Pharma Co., Ltd. (“Nxera” or “the Company”; TSE 4565) today announces that its Board of Directors approved the change of Directors as stated below. The nomination of candidates for External Directors is based on the resolution of the Nomination Committee. The appointments are expected to be ratified officially, subject to the passing of resolutions to be made at the 36th Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders, scheduled to be held on 25 March 2026.
Chris Cargill, President & CEO of Nxera Pharma, said: “We welcome the appointment of Mr. Morooka as a candidate for External Director of Nxera Pharma. He brings extensive experience in his field, and we expect that, with his deep expertise in regulatory affairs and pharmaceutical policy, he will provide practical and constructive guidance in advancing our medium- to long-term growth strategy and enhancing corporate value, as we further develop Nxera into a leading player in the biopharmaceutical industry. At the same time, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to the outgoing Directors for their many years of dedicated service and significant contributions to the Company’s growth and development.”
1. Change of Directors
(1) Content of the Change
| New position | Name | Current position | |
| Appointment | External Director | Takeo Morooka | Strategic Advisory Council |
| Retirement | - | Miwa Seki | External Director |
| - | Noriaki Nagai | External Director |
(2) Curriculum Vitae of a new External Director and Reason for the Appointment
Mr. Takeo Morooka
| Apr. 1994 | Registered to practice medicine in Japan Resident Physician, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Kyoto University Hospital |
| Apr. 1998 | Medical Officer, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Japan |
| Jan. 2002 | Medical Officer, WHO/HQ |
| Jan. 2007 | Director, Department of Health Facilities Management, International University of Health and Welfare |
| Feb. 2010 | Vice President, Government Affairs, Covidien Japan K.K. |
| Jul 2015 | Head of Health Policy, MSD K.K. |
| Oct. 2018 | Board Director in charge of Operation, Preparatory Committee for the Establishment of Japan Foundation of Medical Isotope Development, General Incorporated (current Board Director) (to the present) |
| Apr. 2019 | Founder and CEO, Japan Medical Isotope Technology Development K.K. (to the present) |
| Jul 2019 | Co-founder and Special Advisor, Fuzionaire RI Technologies K.K. (to the present) |
| Jan 2020 | Co-founder and CEO, Japan Medical Isotope K.K. (to the present) |
| Jan 2021 | Founder and CEO, PH Consulting Ltd. (current Representative Director and President, PH Consulting K.K.) (to the present) |
| Oct 2021 | Co-founder and Executive Officer CSO, Hedgehog MedTech Inc. (to the present) |
| Dec 2021 | Director General, European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, Japan, General Incorporated |
| Dec 2024 | Advisor, MeDiCU Inc. (to the present) |
| Apr 2025 | Strategic Advisory Council Member of Nxera Pharma Co., Ltd. (to the present) |
Mr. Takeo Morooka is a qualified physician who worked as a clinician before joining Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. He has also worked as a medical officer at the World Health Organization’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Following which he served as a senior executive in charge of government relations at a global healthcare company, and in recent years has founded and is involved in the management of a medical advisory company and a company that aims to utilize technology to improve outcomes in healthcare, such as developing therapeutic apps. In light of his extensive and deep knowledge, especially in regulatory affairs and pharmaceutical policy, the Company believes Mr. Morooka will proactively offer useful advice and proposals regarding its overall management. It is expected that his performance of these important roles will further strengthen the oversight of the management team and the governance system, and thus the Company proposes that he will be newly elected as an External Director.
(3) Effective date of the Change
25 March 2026
2. New Directors (to be appointed)
Mr. Chris Cargill, Representative Executive Officer (re-appointed)
Dr. David Roblin, External Director (re-appointed)
Mr. Rolf Soderstrom, External Director (re-appointed)
Ms. Eiko Tomita, External Director (re-appointed)
Ms. Naoko Shimura, External Director (re-appointed)
Ms. Nicola Rabson, External Director (re-appointed)
Mr. Takeo Morooka, External Director (newly appointed)
–END–
About Nxera Pharma
Nxera Pharma is a technology powered biopharma company in pursuit of new specialty medicines to improve the lives of patients with unmet needs in Japan and globally. The Company has built an agile, new-generation commercial business in Japan to develop and commercialize innovative medicines, including several launched products, to address this high-value, large and growing market and those in the broader APAC region. In addition, the Company is advancing an extensive pipeline internally and in partnership with leading pharma and biotech companies powered by its unique NxWave™ GPCR structure-based drug discovery platform. Nxera Pharma operates at key locations in Tokyo and Osaka (Japan), London and Cambridge (UK), Basel (Switzerland) and Seoul (South Korea) and is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (ticker: 4565).
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Forward-looking statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements about the discovery, development, and commercialization of products. Various risks may cause Nxera Pharma Group’s actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward looking statements, including: adverse results in clinical development programs; failure to obtain patent protection for inventions; commercial limitations imposed by patents owned or controlled by third parties; dependence upon strategic alliance partners to develop and commercialize products and services; difficulties or delays in obtaining regulatory approvals to market products and services resulting from development efforts; the requirement for substantial funding to conduct research and development and to expand commercialization activities; and product initiatives by competitors. As a result of these factors, prospective investors are cautioned not to rely on any forward-looking statements. We disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
