LA Jobs on the Line With Takeda Poised for EU Approval for $62B Shire Buy

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A Shire plasma plant in Atwater Village moved one step closer to being owned by Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. with the European Union reportedly poised to approve a $62-billion Shire deal that could impact hundreds of Los Angeles jobs.

Reuters reported Nov. 9 that the Japanese drugmaker was set to win conditional EU antitrust approval for its $62-billion bid for London’s Shire, the biggest overseas acquisition by the Japanese company. A ruling by an EU competition enforcer is expected by Nov. 20.

Takeda has already won clearance from regulators in the U.S., Japan, China and Brazil.

The acquisition would create the world’s eighth-largest drug maker with combined sales worth $30 billion. The deal is expected to close by the summer of 2019.

The Takeda takeover will mean lay-offs, Osaka-based Takeda said, as the companies consolidate operations. What’s unclear is how it might affect Shire operations in Los Angeles.

A Shire plant in Atwater Village develops plasma-related treatments for hemophilia, trauma, kidney disease and immune system disorders.

Shire acquired it 2016 when it acquired Baxalta, a biopharmaceutical spinoff of Baxter International, for $32 billion. The merger also included a genomics research laboratory in Thousand Oaks.

A Business Journal ranking of the region’s largest biotechnology firms in March listed the Los Angeles’ Shire subsidiary as tied for fifth with 1,500 local workers.

Health business reporter Dana Bartholomew can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @_DanaBart.

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