Acquisitions · Pharma
Takeda pays $4 billion upfront for Nimbus's TYK2 psoriasis drug
- Buyer
- Takeda Pharmaceutical (Tokyo)
- Target
- Nimbus Lakshmi (Nimbus Therapeutics' TYK2 program), Boston, Massachusetts
- Value
- $4B upfront, plus up to $2B in milestones
- Status
- Completed in February 2023; the drug became TAK-279 (zasocitinib).
- Date
- 2022-12-13
Takeda agreed to buy Nimbus Lakshmi, the Nimbus Therapeutics subsidiary that owns an oral, highly selective TYK2 inhibitor for psoriasis and other immune diseases. It pays $4 billion upfront from cash on hand, plus two $1 billion payments if annual sales reach $4 billion and $5 billion. The deal needed US antitrust clearance.
Why it matters
Takeda needed a late-stage blockbuster candidate to offset patent expiries, including Entyvio's, and chose to pay up for a potential best-in-class immunology pill.
The deal
Takeda agreed on December 13, 2022 to buy Nimbus Lakshmi, the Boston-based Nimbus Therapeutics unit that held the drug. It paid $4 billion upfront, mostly from cash on hand, and will pay $1 billion more each if annual sales reach $4 billion and $5 billion. The deal needed US antitrust clearance and closed in February 2023.
The drug
The drug, now called zasocitinib (TAK-279), is a once-daily pill that blocks an immune enzyme called TYK2. In December 2025 Takeda reported that two Phase 3 psoriasis trials met their main goals, with more than half of patients reaching 90% skin clearance by week 16. The FDA accepted its application with priority review, with a decision due in early 2027. It is also being tested in psoriatic arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease.
Why Takeda paid up
Takeda faces patent expiries on major drugs, including its gut drug Entyvio. A pill that works as well as injections for psoriasis could become one of its biggest products.
Sources
Kakehashi M&A News home
