AstraZeneca completes takeover of Takeda’s respiratory business

AstraZeneca has announced the completion of its previously-announced acquisition of the core respiratory business of Takeda.

Agreed in December 2015, the deal sees AstraZeneca gain the rights to the drug roflumilast, which is marketed as Daliresp in the US and Daxas in other countries. It is the only approved oral PDE4 inhibitor for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The company has marketed Daliresp in the US since the acquisition of the rights to the therapy from Actavis in the first quarter of 2015.

It was also announced this week that AstraZeneca has completed the divestment of the global rights to the drug Imdur outside the US to China Medical System Holdings and its associated company Tibet Rhodiola Pharmaceutical Holding.

Under the agreement, AstraZeneca will receive $190 million (131.24 million pounds) for the rights to Imdur, a mature medicine for the prevention of angina in patients with heart disease. It achieved global sales of $57 million outside the US in 2015.