After months of pursuit, Takeda Pharmaceuticals (TKPYY) finally won over Shire (SHPG) with a $62 billion offer, a move that will create the world’s eighth-largest drug maker with combined sales worth $30 billion. And for Takeda chief executive Christophe Weber, the deal will cap his quest to expand the Japanese drug maker into more profitable markets, notably the U.S.
Once completed — the target date is the first half of 2019 — the combined company will become a leader in therapies for a variety of maladies. But Takeda is borrowing cash to pay for the deal, worrying shareholders about its debt load, especially after borrowing money to buy Ariad Pharmaceuticals last year for $5 billion.
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What a waste of money! There will be no respectable return on investment in five even in ten years.