STAT+: Takeda CEO Christophe Weber to step down following prolonged drop in company shares

Christophe Weber will step down as CEO of Takeda next year, the company announced Thursday, following a dropoff in its share price over the last couple of years. 

Weber, 59, has led the Japanese pharma company for more than a decade, most notably steering its $62 billion acquisition of Shire Pharmaceuticals in 2019. He will be replaced by Julie Kim, currently president of Takeda’s U.S. business unit, making her one of the few female chief executives in the pharma industry or of a major Japanese company. Kim, 54, previously held several executive roles at Shire and joined Takeda through the acquisition. 

Investors will likely welcome Kim’s familiar face in the C-suite, Jefferies analysts wrote after the announcement, citing her track record of success with the U.S. branch and Takeda’s plasma business. 

Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…