Pharmaceuticals

Takeda's £46bn takeover of Shire approved by shareholders

Takeda Pharmaceutical’s £46bn takeover of London-listed pharmaceutical group Shire was approved by both sets of shareholders last week.

Takeda said that 88% of its shareholders voted in favour of the deal, while 99.8% of Shire’s shareholders voted for it, meaning it is now due to complete by 8 January 2019.

Takeda’s president and CEOChristophe Weber said: “We are delighted that our shareholders have given their strong support to our acquisition of Shire. With shareholder approval secured, we are looking forward to closing the acquisition in the coming weeks to create a more competitive, agile, highly profitable, and therefore more resilient company, poised to deliver highly innovative medicines and transformative care to patients around the world.”