Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has entered an agreement to acquire Paradigm Therapeutics Ltd. Paradigm will become a subsidiary of Takeda Europe Holdings B.V., and will be renamed Takeda Cambridge Ltd., while its subsidiary in Singapore will be renamed Takeda Singapore Pte Ltd. The transaction is expected to close within the next few weeks. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Paradigm has target identification and validation capabilities based on genetic engineering and in vivo pharmacology. The company has developed a pipeline of drug discovery targets and compounds in key areas including pain, CNS disorders, prostate and breast cancer, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and obesity.

This merger builds upon Takeda and Paradigm’s 2005 CNS therapeutic alliance. Paradigm’s technologies and researchers will be integrated into Takeda and will be used to accelerate multiple scientific processes such as the validation of drug targets derived from genomic research, the creation of animal models reflecting the human pathologic conditions, and the optimization of drug candidates.

“Takeda has been an excellent partner in our CNS collaboration and this deal represents a logical and positive extension to that. The company looks forward to continuing with its drug discovery and development activities within the global reach and long-term planning horizons of Takeda,” said Alastair Riddell, chief executive officer of Paradigm.

 “We are very excited with this deal, which will add to Takeda another research base equipped with the state-of-the-art technologies expected to further improve Takeda’s research efficiency,” said Yasuchika Hasegawa, president of Takeda. “We now have research functions in Japan, the U.S., Europe, and in Singapore. This acquisition represents our initiatives for establishing global research infrastructures and for pursuing the world’s highest standard of productivity, which we believe will support enhancement of our R&D pipeline as source for future growth, and the realization of our goal to become a truly world-class pharmaceutical company.”