Shire shares soar 14% on approach by Takeda

Japan’s largest drugmaker Takeda is considering a bid for Shire that could top $40bn (€32.2bn) and spark another takeover battle in the deal-hungry pharma industry.

The shares in Shire ended 14% higher in London. Shire currently employs around 400 people in a Co Meath campus and its Dublin head office, and has plans to hire 400 more in the coming years. Shire sells treatments for rare diseases and attention deficit disorder.