The offer for Shire, which has sites in Cambridge and Lexingtion, officially kicks off what would be one of the biggest corporate takeovers ever by a Japanese company.
(Bloomberg) — Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. offered to buy drugmaker Shire Plc for about 42.4 billion pounds ($60 billion), officially kicking off what would be one of the biggest corporate takeovers ever by a Japanese company, Reuters reported.
Takeda is said to have offered 46.50 pounds a share for Shire in a deal that would give Japan’s biggest drugmaker a broader global reach. Takeda would gain new assets in gastrointestinal diseases and nervous-system ailments, and key treatments that are in the late stages of testing. The possible offer comes after Shire agreed on Monday to sell its cancer unit to France’s Servier SAS for $2.4 billion.
Shire shares, which are listed in London, surged as much as 7.6 percent after the report, which cited unidentified sources.
A Takeda spokeswoman declined to comment.
