Openly opposing Takeda CEO Christophe Weber's proposed Shire buyout, a Takeda founder descendant said the deal would be "disastrous." Meanwhile, the company, which is already planning for a successful closing, is now moving its U.S. headquarters from the Chicago area to Boston, near Shire's operations. Sanofi is creating two new units, one tasked with reshaping its diabetes business and the other focused on China.
1. In revolt, Takeda family calls out CEO Weber over Shire deal
Some members of the Takeda founding family were known to oppose management’s proposed $62 billion Shire deal. Now one of them, Kazu Takeda, has spoken up. The traditionalist criticized the takeover as being against the company’s philosophy and said it would be “disastrous” for the business, according to The Times. The opponents have a chance at derailing the deal if they get a third of shareholder votes.
2. Takeda to move U.S. headquarters to Boston, affecting 1,000 employees
A seemingly undeterred Takeda is planning to move its U.S. headquarters from the Chicago area to Boston, where Shire has operations, upon closing of the buyout. “This move, while difficult, will allow closer collaboration across Takeda to best position our future pipeline for success,” said a spokeswoman. It will affect 1,000 employees.
3. Sanofi swaps executives with Bayer in revamp that reshapes diabetes, spotlights China
As part of a restructuring, Sanofi tapped Bayer’s Dieter Weinand to lead a new primary care unit that combines its diabetes and cardiovascular assets with established products. The Big Pharma also created a unit called China & Emerging Markets, with a clear, stepped-up focus on China, already its second-largest country by sales. Sanofi’s own Stefan Oelrich will take up Weinand’s Bayer job.
4. Roche sets up patent hurdle for Bioepis' Herceptin biosimilar: analyst
In a last attempt at stalling Herceptin biosimilars, Roche has sued Samsung Bioepis over 21 patents, as partners Biogen and Samsung are looking for a December approval of their candidate, which already won approval in Europe last year. Roche had previously sued Pfizer, and Mylan has settled for a mid-2019 launch.
5. Bidding war? Coca-Cola prepares offer for GSK consumer business in India: report
Add Coca-Cola to the long list of companies eyeing GlaxoSmithKline’s Indian consumer health business. The unit has drinks brand Horlicks, among other nutritional products, and has attracted the likes of Kellogg and Reckitt Benckiser, according to earlier reports. A deal could be worth $4 billion, analysts have said.
6. China’s drug regulator clears 45 vaccine makers in sweeping, scandal-triggered inspections
China’s drug regulator found no manufacturing problems at all of its remaining 45 vaccine makers, including seven that have ceased production for more than three years. The sweeping inspections came after Changchun Changsheng Life Sciences was found to have massively falsified production data and was shut down by authorities before it raised public concerns over vaccine safety.
7. Cadila manufacturing facility in India gets FDA Form 483 for 5 observations
Indian drugmaker Cadila Healthcare’s Liva Pharmaceuticals was hit with a Form 483. Inspectors cited five problems at its plant in Vadodara, India, including with its sterility procedures and record-keeping process.
8. WDB Medical Data snaps up DZS Clinical, expanding services in Europe and Japan
WDB Medical Data, a CRO owned by Japan’s WDB Holdings, has acquired DZS Clinical Services, a New Jersey-based provider of clinical development and data analytics services.