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* Japanese drugmaker in better position to be active
* Follows refocusing of group on three growth areas
* Priorities are oncology, gastrointestinal, emergingmarkets
By Ben Hirschler
DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Takeda Pharmaceutical, Japan's largest drugmaker, is ready to look at doingdeals now that it has refocused operations, its incoming chiefexecutive said on Wednesday.
Christophe Weber, who will become the company's firstforeign boss when he is promoted from chief operating officer(COO) in June, said he is anxious to screen opportunities as theglobal pharmaceuticals sector goes through a record wave ofdeal-making.
"We don't want to be passive and we don't want to watch thetrain passing," he told Reuters on the fringes of the WorldEconomic Forum in Davos.
As COO, Weber has overseen a reshaping of Takeda after thecompany's desire to become a truly global player was exemplifiedby his recruitment from GlaxoSmithKline last April.
In the past nine months Weber has undertaken a major reviewof businesses at 230-year-old Takeda and has decided toconcentrate on three key growth drivers -- oncology,gastrointestinal (GI) medicine and emerging markets.
Clarifying those areas of focus was a prerequisite forlooking at acquisition opportunities, Weber said.
"Now we are in a better position to be active externally,which we want. We have zero net debt at Takeda, so we have someroom for manoeuvre."
In the past Takeda has reached outside its domestic marketwith some large deals, such as the acquisition of U.S. biotechcompany Millennium and the purchase of Swiss drugmaker Nycomedto boost its footprint in emerging markets.
The Millennium deal helped to develop Takeda's cancer drugoperation into a $3 billion-a-year operation, while Nycomed hasexpanded it into a number of fast-growing markets.
"Organically, we are doing okay, but I wouldn't mind doing afew deals," Weber said. "Perhaps a deal would be small orperhaps big. It depends what is out there."
India is one emerging market where Takeda is lacking heftand Weber said he would look at ways to expand there, inaddition to eyeing opportunities in research-driven cancer andGI medicine.
"We have now established a presence there to understand themarket better. It's a difficult market, very competitive andrelatively low-margin, but we cannot ignore India," he said.
Weber has been touted as a potential candidate to take overthe running of French drugmaker Sanofi after theousting of Chris Viehbacher last October, but Weber said he wasnot interested despite being approached. (Editing by David Goodman)
