Step one for incoming Takeda CEO Christophe Weber: Reorganize. Step two? Scout deals, he said Wednesday.
According to Weber, who will take the helm from chief exec Yasuchika Hasegawa when he's promoted from COO this June, Takeda won't let the industry's dealmaking wave pass it by, Reuters reports. And now that Weber has a company-wide rejig in the works, it's in a better position to be active, he said.
"We don't want to be passive and we don't want to watch the train passing," he told the news service.
For one, the drugmaker now has three distinct areas of focus--oncology, gastrointestinal medicine and emerging markets--that it can bolster through acquisitions, Reuters notes. Takeda is behind the pack in India in particular--a market in which Weber said he would look for ways to expand.
"We have now established a presence there to understand the market better. It's a difficult market, very competitive and relatively low-margin, but we cannot ignore India," he said, as quoted by Reuters.
While Weber didn't give much clue as to the size of the deals he's after--"perhaps a deal would be small or perhaps big," he said--he did highlight his company's goose egg in the net debt department, meaning it has room to maneuver.
In the meantime, the company will move forward with the realignment plans Weber initiated in September--plans he says he intends to see through despite approaches from CEO-hungry Sanofi ($SNY). The French drugmaker is looking for a new top dog from its home country after last year's ousting of Chris Viehbacher, but France native Weber told Reuters he's not interested in the position.
- get more from Reuters
Special Report: The top 10 largest pharma layoffs in 2013 - Takeda