Sources: Genzyme floats $82 bid by Takeda

Genzyme has reportedly initiated a discussion with Japan's Takeda around an $82-per-share target offer.

Anxious to stir up a bidding war, Genzyme ($GENZ) has reportedly initiated a discussion with Japan's Takeda around an $82-per-share target offer, according to a number of press reports. Takeda is among several companies reportedly being rung up by Genzyme CEO Henri Termeer (photo), who has spurned Sanofi-Aventis' ($SNY) $69 offer as an attempt to acquire the Boston biotech in a bargain basement play.

"Genzyme has been apparently talking to different companies to find better match/price and/or force Sanofi to get serious," Michael Obuchowski, chief investment officer at First Empire Asset Management, writes in a message to Bloomberg. "Buying Genzyme would make sense for Takeda. Takeda has been trying to aggressively grow their U.S. business."

Takeda, however, has demonstrated little previous interest in the rare disease field in which Genzyme works. Takeda acquired Millennium's oncology pipeline when it bought out that developer for $8.8 billion. Since then, the c