Despite a small, vocal group of shareholders opposing Takeda's now $58 billion Shire takeover, 88 percent of the company's shareholders voted to approve the transaction.
Here's what you should know:
1. Takeda cleared every hurdle needed to acquire Shire. Shire's shareholders voted Dec. 5 in an overwhelming majority to approve the deal, The Wall Street Journal reports.
2. While the deal will make Takeda one of the world's most indebted shareholders, Takeda will also be among the world's top 10 drugmakers.
3. Takeda announced its then $62 billion Shire acquisition in March. Over time, Takeda's stock has fallen to value the deal at $58 billion, still the largest overseas acquisition by a Japanese company.
4. Takeda President and CEO Christophe Weber said, "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."