Takeda shareholders approve £46bn Shire takeover

(Sharecast News) - Takeda Pharmaceutical shareholders have approved its £46bn takeover of London-listed pharmaceutical group Shire.The Japanese company said on Wednesday that at least 88% of the votes were in favour of the deal, which still needs to be approved by Shire shareholders.President and chief executive officer Christophe Weber said: "We are delighted that our shareholders have given their strong support to our acquisition of Shire."With shareholder approval secured, we are looking forward to closing the acquisition in the coming weeks to create a more competitive, agile, highly profitable, and therefore more resilient company, poised to deliver highly innovative medicines and transformative care to patients around the world."Shire shareholders are due to vote on the transaction later in the day.At 0805 GMT, Shire shares were up 2.7% to 4,673p.