Takeda and Shire settle on US$62 billion deal

After months of discussions, Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical Company has reached an agreement to acquire Shire for US$62 billion (see SCM, May, p.20). The acquisition is expected to create a global, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical leader headquartered in Japan and better position Takeda to deliver highly-innovative medicines and transformative care globally. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2019.

The acquisition of Shire will provide the combined group with leading positions in rare diseases and plasma-derived therapies to complement strength in oncology and focused efforts in vaccines. Takeda will continue to focus on the acceleration of its oncology business, following its recent acquisition of ARIAD Pharmaceuticals.