AstraZeneca is increasing its respiratory therapy portfolio with the purchase of Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda Pharmaceuticals' core respiratory business.
AstraZeneca, a London-based pharmaceutical company, focuses on treatments for respiratory, inflammatory, autoimmune, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, as well as oncology and neuroscience.
"The agreement with Takeda complements our respiratory business -- one of our three main therapy areas -- supports our return to growth and will be immediately accretive to earnings from 2016," Luke Miels, AstraZeneca's executive vice president of global portfolio and product strategy, said.
The sale, which is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2016, also means 200 Takeda employees will transfer into jobs at AstraZeneca.
The $575-million acquisition will give AstraZeneca expanded rights to sell and market roflumilast, a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) medication, which is sold in the U.S. under the brand name Daliresp, along with two other respiratory medications.
