Takeda's Shire Ambitions Show Just How Easy Money Is in Japan
Japan's Takeda Pharmaceutical Weighs Bid for Shire
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Takeda Pharmaceutical Co.’s ability to even consider spending as much as $50 billion to buy a rival like Shire Plc is a reflection of just how cheap it is to borrow money in Japan these days.
The Japanese drugmaker confirmed it’s weighing an approach for Shire, which would be its biggest takeover ever and vault Takeda into the ranks of the world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies. The deal “looks stretched” financially, Bernstein analyst Wimal Kapadia said in a note. But that doesn’t mean Takeda won’t be able to pull it off.