After Japanese pharmaceutical company Kyorin acquired startup biotech firm ActivX Biosciences Inc. in 2004, the new company retained an important and reliable asset — Dr. John Kozarich, who was involved in starting up ActivX four years before and was a highly-regarded pharmaceutical researcher with several years of collaborating with Kyorin while he was at industry leader Merck.
“Personal relationships have made all the difference. Kyorin had a very enlightened R&D group that had a Western orientation in many ways. Because of this dynamic, we agreed to become a U.S. corporation,” Kozarich recalled.
The mutual trust and respect between ActivX and Kyorin have resulted in expansion in the domestic and international markets.
“Kyorin understands that it’s important to treat us like a biotech company whose resources can expand its sphere of influence. If it weren’t for Kyorin, ActivX would not have survived, and our technology would not have been as advanced and as powerful as it is today. It was very visionary for Kyorin to collaborate with us and trust our operations,” said Kozarich.
“Kyorin has allowed me to network with other companies, which has led to the growth of ActivX. This was good for them and good for their reputation. Kyorin has a unique visibility in the United States as a small Japanese company and, in many cases, would not be as well known if ActivX was not here. It has been a very successful collaboration between us,” he added.
- Originally prepared by Global Media for The Japan Times Special Report on San Diego 2014 (Credit: Conrad Becker)
