Takeda exits cell therapy, takes US$394M loss on GDX012 program

JAPAN—Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda has decided to discontinue its cell therapy efforts despite previously placing significant emphasis on this treatment approach.

This move is part of Takeda’s strategy to focus on its core portfolio and will lead to the loss of 137 jobs at its research and development facility in Massachusetts, USA.

The decision marks a clear reversal from the time when cell therapy was a central part of Takeda’s oncology portfolio, being one of the four main treatment modalities that the company actively pursued.

Moving forward, Takeda will concentrate on developing antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), biologics, and small molecule drugs across six key therapeutic areas.

 Although the company will stop advancing its cell therapy programs internally, it intends to seek an external partner to utilize its cell therapy platform technologies.

This partner will take responsibility for continuing Takeda’s research in this area and advancing the cell therapy candidates that are already ready for clinical development.

Takeda’s shift away from cell therapy will result in a tighter focus on its products and reduced financial spending.

The company will face a significant financial impact, as discontinuing its gamma delta T-cell therapy, GDX012, will result in a loss of approximately US$394 million (¥58 billion).

 This setback comes just four years after Takeda acquired GammaDelta Therapeutics, a King’s College spinout, which developed GDX012.

Takeda had highlighted the drug for its unique approach to targeting solid tumors and blood cancers.

 However, despite the promise, the Phase I clinical trial initiated in 2021 for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) was later stopped.

Takeda is not alone in stepping back from cell and gene therapies this year.

Other major pharmaceutical companies from Japan and abroad, such as Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Roche-owned Genentech, and Bayer, have also canceled deals in the cell and gene therapy space.

Nevertheless, these companies maintain their interest by continuing collaborations with external partners, such as NanoVation, Voyager, Repertoire, and Cytiva, to further explore the potential of these therapies.

Meanwhile, several leading pharmaceutical firms are advancing their cell and gene therapy efforts aggressively.

For example, US-based Gilead recently expanded its capabilities by merging with Interius, a specialist in in vivo CAR-T therapies, for US$350 million.

 Similarly, AbbVie and AstraZeneca have invested heavily in the modality by acquiring Capstan Therapeutics for US$2.1 billion in March 2025 and EsoBiotec for up to US$1 billion in July 2025.

In vivo CAR-T therapies have emerged as an important area of focus, with analysts at GlobalData suggesting that this type of treatment could soon replace ex vivo CAR-T options.

The main advantage lies in the ability of in vivo therapies to reduce the very high manufacturing costs and long waiting times associated with ex vivo approaches.