Takeda Pharmaceutical in talks to sell Japan consumer health unit to Blackstone

In a bid to refocus its business and reduce debt following its $59B Shire acquisition, Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical (NYSE:TAK) is planning to sell its domestic over-the-counter consumer healthcare unit to US fund Blackstone (NYSE:BX) for $2.85B (¥300B), reports Reuters.

Consumer healthcare unit generated FY sales of ¥64.1B, accounting for 2% of total revenue.

The talks are in the final stage and the companies plan to close the deal by the end of this month.

A Takeda spokeswoman declined to comment to Reuters on the report beyond saying it had not come from the company. A Blackstone representative was not immediately available for comment.

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3606923-takeda-pharmaceutical-in-talks-to-sell-japan-consumer-health-unit-to-blackstone