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Japan’s Takeda to Purchase Swiss Drugmaker Nycomed for $13.6b
Tomoko A. Hosaka | May 19, 2011

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Tokyo. Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. said on Thursday that it would buy Switzerland’s Nycomed for $13.6 billion, giving Japan’s biggest drugmaker coveted access to emerging markets.

The all-cash deal is the largest ever overseas takeover by a Japanese pharmaceutical company and underscores Takeda’s aggressive efforts to expand globally. The Osaka-based company is particularly keen to tap into rapidly growing regions such as Asia, Russia and Latin America.

Nycomed’s products are sold in more than 100 countries. Europe accounts for about half its revenue, while emerging markets comprise 39 percent of sales. Its products include prescription drugs, such as the lung-disease drug Daxas, as well as various over-the-counter medications.

Takeda described the deal as a “strategic fit” with its growth strategy. It will pay 9.6 billion euros ($13.6 billion) for the privately held company, using loans of 600 billion yen to 700 billion yen to partially finance the purchase.

“Nycomed enables Takeda to maximize the value of our portfolio and gives us an immediate strong presence in the high-growth emerging markets while doubling Takeda’s European sales,” Takeda President Yasuchika Hasegawa said.

Nycomed is owned by private equity firms Stockholm-based Nordic Capital, Credit Suisse affiliate DLJ Merchant Banking Partners, Coller Capital and New York-based Avista Capital Partners.

Takeda has high hopes for Daxas, which it expects to be a major driver of revenue growth. Daxas is the European brand name for roflumilast, which was approved earlier this year by the US Food and Drug Administration under the name Daliresp.

The new drug is designed to reduce symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in patients whose condition is associated with chronic bronchitis.

Even though Takeda is Japan’s No. 1 drugmaker, it remains a relatively small player on the global stage. Its annual sales of 1.42 trillion yen ($17.4 billion) represent about a quarter of the sales of No.1 drugmaker Pfizer.

The Nycomed buy will push Takeda up four notches to No. 12 in global pharmaceutical sales, the company said .

Japanese companies are taking advantage of the strong yen to pursue acquisitions overseas.

Associated Press