Takeda to divest its Japan consumer healthcare business unit

The transaction will allow Takeda to focus on five key business areas.

TCHC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Takeda focused on the consumer healthcare market primarily in Japan.

The portfolio to be divested to Blackstone includes a variety of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines and health products that generated total revenues of more than JPY 60 billion in fiscal year 2019.

TCHC's strong regional brands include Alinamin, its top-selling product and Japan's first vitamin B1 preparation, and Benza, a cold remedy. Blackstone intends to develop the business together with current TCHC management and continue to employ its employees.

Christophe Weber, Takeda President and CEO said the transaction will help to sharpen Takeda's "strategic focus" on five key business areas: gastroenterology (GI), rare diseases, plasma-derived therapies, oncology and neuroscience - and an increasingly competitive consumer health care market in Japan, the ownership transition will benefit both TCHC and Takeda.

In an increasingly competitive consumer healthcare market in Japan, TCHC will benefit from increased strategic focus, resources and agility to support the growth and development of its important brands and to rapidly respond to evolving market conditions and diverse customer needs.

So far in 2020, Takeda has also agreed to divest three different non-core asset portfolios in the Asia Pacific, Europe, and Latin America regions.