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11 January 2017Americas

Takeda to acquire Ariad for $5.2bn

Japan-based Takeda Pharmaceutical has acquired Ariad Pharmaceuticals, a company which develops small-molecule medicines for cancer treatments, for $5.2 billion.

Christophe Weber, president of Takeda, said in a  statement released on Monday, January 9: “The acquisition of Ariad is a unique opportunity that will enable us to positively impact the lives of more patients worldwide, advance our strategic priorities and generate attractive returns for our shareholders.”

He added that it was a very exciting time for Takeda, as the company will “broaden” its hematology portfolio and “transform” its global solid tumour franchise “through the addition of two innovative targeted therapies”.

The two therapies which will be added to Takeda’s existing oncology portfolio are brigatinib, a treatment for lung cancer, and iclusig, a treatment for leukemia.

Paris Panayiotopoulos, president of Ariad, added: “We are very pleased to combine with Takeda, which will allow us to not only accelerate our mission to discover, develop and deliver precision therapies to patients with rare cancers, but also deliver immediate and meaningful value to our shareholders through a substantial cash premium.”

The transaction is expected to close by the end of February 2017.