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LONDON and OSAKA, Japan — AstraZeneca plans to acquire the core respiratory business of Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. for $575 million.
Under the agreement, approximately 200 Takeda staff will transfer to AstraZeneca after the closing of the transaction, expected in the first quarter of 2016.
AstraZeneca said the deal will include the expansion of rights to roflumilast, marketed as Daliresp in the United States and Daxas in other countries, which the company called the only approved oral PDE4 inhibitor for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Daliresp has been marketed in the U.S. by AstraZeneca since it acquired the product’s rights from Actavis in the first quarter of 2015. AstraZeneca said full acquisition of the global rights will support its respiratory franchise and complement its portfolio of treatments for severe COPD.
Also under the deal, AstraZeneca is acquiring two ciclesonide products — Alvesco, an asthma inhalation aerosol, and Omnaris, an allergy nasal spray — as well as regional and local products and several pre-clinical assets, according to Takeda.
Annual global sales of the three core medicines acquired, excluding any AstraZeneca sales of Daliresp in the U.S., totaled $198 million for the period ending in March 2015, AstraZeneca said.
“The agreement with Takeda complements our respiratory business, one of our three main therapy areas, supports our return to growth and will be immediately accretive to earnings from 2016. Daxas, in particular, adds to our portfolio of treatments for patients with severe COPD,” stated Luke Miels, executive vice president for global portfolio and product strategy at AstraZeneca.
Takeda noted that the sale of the respiratory business will enable the company to sharpen its focus on four key therapeutic areas it identified in 2014: gastroenterology, oncology, central nervous system, and cardiovascular and metabolic.
“Patients are Takeda’s primary focus, and we are committed to working closely with AstraZeneca to ensure a smooth transition,” commented Christophe Weber, chief executive officer of Takeda. “AstraZeneca has extensive experience in respiratory care and will be able to prioritize getting these important medicines to the patients that need them.”
