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The U.S. headquarters of Takeda, a research-based global pharmaceutical company, are seen in Deerfield on Oct. 10, 2014.
Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune
The U.S. headquarters of Takeda, a research-based global pharmaceutical company, are seen in Deerfield on Oct. 10, 2014.
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Japanese drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. will close its massive Deerfield headquarters, where about 1,000 people work, by the end of the year, the company said Tuesday.

Takeda announced last fall that it would close its U.S. headquarters in Deerfield and move the work to Boston following its acquisition of Irish drugmaker Shire. At the time, the company didn’t specify when the shutdown of the gleaming, three-building complex off Interstate 294 would be, saying only that employees would be notified within six months of the Shire acquisition about whether they’d still have jobs with Takeda.

Takeda told Deerfield employees on Tuesday that all of them would leave the complex by Dec. 31. The company aims to sell the property before April 2020, but did not provide any additional details about a possible sale.

Takeda also announced at the time of the merger that it planned to cut up to 7 percent of its global workforce after the acquisition.

Takeda spokeswoman Julia Ellwanger said Tuesday that some employees will be relocated or work remotely for a period of time. She declined to provide numbers, saying discussions are ongoing.

“Managers and their teams are working to consider employee needs and the needs of the business. Where possible, roles have been designated as remote or field based, while others require co-location due to the nature of the work,” Ellwanger said in an email.

“In some cases where roles are moving to other sites, employees will have the opportunity to transfer. In cases where there isn’t a solution that meets the business and/or an employee’s needs, the employee will be provided with severance and transition support programs.”

Some employees will begin losing their jobs Aug. 30, she said.

The Deerfield buildings encompass 777,000 square feet. Some of Takeda’s U.S. operations were consolidated in the Boston area before the acquisition.

“This move, while difficult, will allow closer collaboration across Takeda to best position our future pipeline for success,” Ellwanger said in a statement when the Deerfield closure was announced in September. “It will also simplify our existing Takeda U.S operations.”

Takeda completed its acquisition of Shire in January, in a deal valued at more than $62 billion in cash and stock at the time it was announced. At that time, Takeda had 30,000 employees worldwide and Shire had 24,000 employees.

Some of Takeda’s top-selling pharmaceuticals include Entyvio, used to treat ulcerative colitis, and cancer drug Leuprorelin. Shire focused on rare diseases, and sold Adderall, which is used for ADHD.

lschencker@chicagotribune.com