Shire
Shire plc is a Dublin-headquartered specialty biopharmaceutical company that develops and commercializes therapies for rare diseases, hematologic conditions, and immune deficiencies. Acquired by Takeda in January 2019 for approximately $62 billion, it now operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary within Takeda's global pharmaceutical operations spanning approximately 70 countries.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersDublin, Ireland
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Shire does
Shire plc was a Dublin-headquartered global specialty biopharmaceutical company founded in 1986 that built its franchise around rare diseases, hematology, and immunology. It developed, manufactured, and commercialized therapies for rare conditions including immune deficiencies, bleeding disorders, and specialty neurology indications, with named assets such as HYQVIA and GAMMAGARD LIQUID/KIOVIG for immunodeficiencies. The company's revenue model relied on global pharmaceutical sales — branded biologic and specialty therapies distributed through direct sales forces and healthcare supply chains into hospitals, specialty pharmacies, and prescribers across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific markets. Pricing was not publicly disclosed, consistent with rare-disease biologics that command premium per-patient pricing under orphan-drug exclusivity.
Shire pursued an aggressive inorganic growth strategy, completing more than a dozen acquisitions between 2007 and 2016, including Baxalta ($32B), NPS Pharmaceuticals ($5.2B), Dyax ($5.9B), ViroPharma ($4.2B), and New River Pharmaceuticals ($2.6B), alongside smaller bolt-ons such as Movetis, Jerini, Lumena Pharmaceuticals, and Advanced BioHealing. In parallel, the company divested non-core assets including Xiidra to Novartis for $3.4 billion as portfolio optimization.
In January 2019, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company completed its acquisition of Shire plc for approximately $62 billion, making it one of the largest pharmaceutical transactions ever and converting Shire from an independent public entity (formerly NASDAQ: SHPG) into a wholly-owned subsidiary of Takeda. Post-acquisition, Shire's rare disease and hematology portfolio is integrated into Takeda's global pharmaceutical operations spanning approximately 70 countries, supported by a leadership team that includes specialized roles in clinical development, biologics process development, gene therapy research, and digital health. Note: source data also references an unrelated "Shire" aviation-tractor product line from Belgian firm M-ECS; this is a distinct entity and is not relevant to Shire plc's pharmaceutical operations.
Shire firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Shire
- Legal name
- Shire plc
- Website
- https://shire.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1986
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Shire plc is a Dublin-headquartered specialty biopharmaceutical company that develops and commercializes therapies for rare diseases, hematologic conditions, and immune deficiencies. Acquired by Takeda in January 2019 for approximately $62 billion, it now operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary within Takeda's global pharmaceutical operations spanning approximately 70 countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Shire industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Rare Disease Therapeutics
- NAICS
- Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412), Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)
- SIC
- Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834), Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Immunology & Autoimmune Specialty Pharmaceuticals (HLAIACAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Specialty Injectable & Infusion Therapies (Cross-therapeutic) (HLAIACAO), Transplantation & Advanced Therapies Pharmaceuticals (incl. Cell & Gene Therapies) (HLAIAAAO), Pulmonology & Allergy Specialty Pharmaceuticals (HLAIACAF)
Keywords
Where Shire is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dublin
- HQ country
- Ireland
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Shire business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Shire product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Shire plc was a global specialty biopharmaceutical company that developed, manufactured, and commercialized therapies for rare diseases and hematologic conditions, with a portfolio including products such as HYQVIA and GAMMAGARD LIQUID/KIOVIG used to treat primary immunodeficiencies and certain neurological disorders. Following its acquisition by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, its offerings were distributed through Takeda's global pharmaceutical infrastructure spanning approximately 70 countries.
Product overview
Shire offers a range of purpose-built electric ground support equipment (GSE) tractors designed for aviation ground support operations. The product line includes four electric tractor models (TT22e, TT22e-DC, TT30e, TT40e) targeting baggage and cargo operations at airports. Shire's electric GSE tractors are designed as an alternative to diesel-powered equipment, claiming 25-30% cost savings versus diesel and 25-35% cost savings versus competing electric tractors, with delivery lead times of 4-6 months.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- HYQVIA
Companies that use Shire
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Shire technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Shire partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- Takeda Pharmaceutical CompanycoreIn January 2024, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company completed its acquisition of Shire plc for $62 billion to strengthen its rare disease and hematology portfolio. This strategic transaction combined Shire's leading rare disease and specialty medicine capabilities with Takeda's global pharmaceutical infrastructure.
- NovartismajorUnder Shire leadership, the company completed the $3.4 billion divestiture of Xiidra (lifitegrast ophthalmic solution) to Novartis. Xiidra was an ophthalmology product for dry eye disease that Shire sold as part of its portfolio optimization strategy.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Shire competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Novartis: Novartis is a broad pharmaceutical incumbent that bought Shire's divested Xiidra franchise ($3.4B) and overlaps with Shire across specialty immunology and rare disease categories.
- Genzyme (Sanofi Rare Disease): Sanofi's Genzyme rare disease division historically pioneered the orphan drug commercial model Shire emulated, and remains a broad incumbent competing across lysosomal storage and specialty immunology indications.
Direct peers
- BioMarin Pharmaceutical: BioMarin is a rare disease-focused biopharma with a strong hematology and enzyme replacement portfolio, closely mirroring Shire's mix of orphan biologics and specialty therapeutics.
- Vertex Pharmaceuticals: Vertex is a specialist biopharma focused on rare diseases (cystic fibrosis, sickle cell) with an R&D-driven, high-margin franchise model directly comparable to Shire's rare disease immunology/hematology approach.
- Incyte: Incyte is a specialty biopharma with significant hematology/oncology and inflammation assets, competing with Shire's hematology commercial footprint and immunology-oriented pipeline.
- Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Jazz is a specialty/rare disease biopharma focused on neurological and hematology/oncology indications, with a similar specialty distribution and high-touch physician engagement model.
- Alexion Pharmaceuticals (AstraZeneca Rare Disease): Alexion is the closest direct peer — a rare disease specialist anchored by immunology and hematology assets (e.g., complement inhibitors, metabolic franchises), serving similar patient populations with premium specialty therapeutics.
- Swedish Orphan Biovitrum (Sobi): Sobi is a European rare disease specialist with overlapping immunology and hematology franchises (including immunoglobulin and hemophilia assets), competing for similar specialty patient populations.
Emerging players
- Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical: Ultragenyx is a clinical-stage rare disease biotech commercializing enzyme and gene therapies for ultra-rare disorders, overlapping with Shire's Baxalta-acquired rare metabolic pipeline.
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals: Alnylam is an RNAi therapeutics pioneer targeting rare genetic diseases (e.g., hATTR amyloidosis), competing with Shire's rare disease specialty franchise and platform innovation narrative.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Shire social profiles
Digital presenceShire financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Shire leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles21 records
Shire funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Shire M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A16 records
Investments12 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Shire
What does Shire do?
Shire plc was a global specialty biopharmaceutical company that developed, manufactured, and commercialized therapies for rare diseases and hematologic conditions, with a portfolio including products such as HYQVIA and GAMMAGARD LIQUID/KIOVIG used to treat primary immunodeficiencies and certain neurological disorders. Following its acquisition by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, its offerings were distributed through Takeda's global pharmaceutical infrastructure spanning approximately 70 countries.
Is Shire a public or private company?
Shire is a public company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was Shire founded?
Shire was founded in 1986. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Shire based?
Shire is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, in the Europe region.
Who are Shire's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Novartis and Genzyme (Sanofi Rare Disease). Direct peers are BioMarin Pharmaceutical, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Incyte, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Alexion Pharmaceuticals (AstraZeneca Rare Disease) and Swedish Orphan Biovitrum (Sobi). Emerging players are Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals.
Does Shire have an API?
No public API is recorded for Shire.
What industry is Shire in?
Shire's product category is Rare Disease Therapeutics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAIACAB, Immunology & Autoimmune Specialty Pharmaceuticals, with a secondary code of HLAIACAO, Specialty Injectable & Infusion Therapies (Cross-therapeutic). Its NAICS code is 325412 and its SIC code is 2834.