Japan’s Takeda to buy U.S. cancer drug maker Ariad in $5.2 billion deal
Japan's Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd said it would buy cancer drug maker Ariad Pharmaceuticals Inc in a deal valued at $5.20 billion, to beef up its oncology pipeline. Takeda — which in September revealed it was scouting for multi-billion dollar acquisitions to reduce its dependence on domestic sales — agreed to pay $24 for each Ariad share, a premium of about 75 percent to its Friday close. Takeda&039;s top-selling blood cancer drug Velcade is expected to face generic competition this year and other key products go off patent from 2020.
