Max Nisen, Columnist

Shire's ADHD Spinoff Idea Is Shaky

August 3, 2017 at 6:29 PM UTC

Max Nisen is a healthcare analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. He previously wrote for Bloomberg Opinion, Quartz and Business Insider.

Flemming Ornskov, chief executive officer of Shire Plc, sits for a photograph following a Bloomberg Television interview in New York, U. S., on Friday, Jan. 15, 2016.
Photographer: Chris Goodney

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Shire PLC's ADHD business has been at its core for years and helped it afford last year's transformative, $35 billion dollar purchase of Baxalta Inc.

As thanks, Shire on Thursday announced, along with its second-quarter results, that it will decide whether to spin off or sell its ADHD business by the end of this year. The firm thinks it has two very different businesses, which "could be better off managed separately," according to CEO Flemming Ornskov on the firm's earnings call.