Takeda Shareholder `Skeptical' About Shire Takeover, Sunday Times Says

  • Top-10 investor said to have concerns on costs, returns
  • Indirect backing for $62 billion deal secured in June

People wait at the reception hall of Takeda Pharmaceutical Co.'s global headquarters in Tokyo.

Photographer: Kentaro Takahashi/Bloomberg
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One of the top 10 shareholders in Japanese drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. is “skeptical” on the value that will be created from the group’s $62 billion takeover of rare disease specialist Shire Plc, the Sunday Times reportedBloomberg Terminal, citing the unidentified investor.

The deal, the biggest in Osaka-based Takeda’s history, has already faced oppositionBloomberg Terminal from a group of investors that calls itself “Thinking About Takeda’s Future.” It comprises former Takeda employees and shareholders who together own about 1 percent of the company’s stock and who oppose Takeda’s expansion. Concerns have also been raised about Takeda’s debt after the acquisition, which includes a $31 billion loan.