Takeda will acquire Nycomed, reports say

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company has agreed to buy Swiss drugmaker Nycomed in a deal worth around 1trn yen ($12bn), according to a report in Japanese newspaper, Nikkei.

The report follows denials by Takeda, the largest pharma company in Japan, earlier this month: "Takeda has not agreed to any such agreement as suggested by certain newspaper publications… Takeda is constantly seeking and evaluating opportunities to increase shareholder value and enhance our business through strategic investment, however, there is nothing that needs to be announced at this point."

Initial media reports had alleged that the deal was in its final stages, while another said that Takeda is talking to banks about financing the deal.

Rumours of the deal came just days after Nycomed entered into a co-branding agreement with Almirall to commercialise roflumilast in Spain. Romflumilast is a once-daily tablet for patients with COPD. It is an orally administered phosphodiesterase 4 (PED4) enzyme inhibitor and the first oral anti-inflammatory treatment for COPD.

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