Takeda begins to shore up finances with $280m divestment

Much has already been written about Takeda and its massive financial stretch to pull in the Shire acquisition, in the massive $62 billion deal.

It’s now beginning to trim down its business and looking to bring in some much needed cash to pay down the deal, with a divestment of its stake in Guangdong Techpool Bio-Pharma.

Takeda had acquired its stake in the business after its $14 billion takeover of Nycomed in 2010, which held a 51.34% majority stake in the company.

Techpool currently has three products on the market, Roan, a treatment for acute and chronic pancreatitis, alongside Kallikrein and Kailikang that both treat mild to moderate acute thrombotic cerebral infarction.

The company’s portfolio will be taken over by Shanghai Pharmacetuical holding, which will boost its current stake in Techpool from 40% to 67%. The rest of Takeda’s stake will be snagged by a fund managed by SFund International Investment Fund Management, which acquires 25% ownership of the business.

"This acquisition marks a strategic milestone for Shanghai Pharma in developing into a branded pharmaceutical manufacturer, and in building a first-class, domestic marketing organisation," commented Mr. Zhou Jun, Chairman of Shanghai Pharma. "We believe via acquisitions such as this, and our overall strategy, Shanghai Pharma has an important role to play in the China government’s ‘Healthy China’ policy."

It is undoubtedly going to be the first of many such deals, as Takeda prepares for life as a pharma company on a large scale once the Shire deal completes.

More than divestment, there are a number of job cuts expected in the near future as it has suggested it will need to cut away 6 to 7% of its global workforce.

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