As chairman and CEO of Eisai Inc. and president of the Americas Region, Cheung is responsible for the strategic direction of Eisai’s North American operation, which is headquartered in Nutley at the former Roche campus. In August, the company cut the ribbon on that new headquarters.

“The official grand opening of the Eisai hhceco Center reinforces our 30-year commitment to New Jersey and signifies the beginning of a new chapter as we establish an ecosystem platform to collaborate with industry, government, medical organizations, and the community to deliver breakthrough medicines and new solutions that alleviate the health concerns of people so they can live healthier and more fulfilling lives,” said Cheung in August.

Cheng provides management oversight to all of Eisai’s operating companies in the U.S. and Canada and is also responsible for the company’s global end-to-end strategy and activities, from new product development and regulatory affairs to brand commercialization and value/access to deliver solutions for people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other related brain health conditions.

And 2023 looks like it will be a busy year for Cheung, following January’s accelerated FDA approval for Eisai’s Alzheimer’s drug, lecanemab, developed with Biogen. The medicine, which will sell under the brand name Leqembi, will be used to help early-stage patients with mild cognitive impairment of the mild dementia stage of the debilitating neurodegenerative disease that affects more than 6.5 million Americans.