AbbVie says $55 billion acquisition of Shire officially dead
October 20, 2014 at 17:42 PM EDT
Oct 20 (Reuters) - U.S. drugmaker AbbVie Inc said on Monday it has reached agreement with Shire Plc to officially call off its proposed $55 billion purchase of the Irish company, and will pay Shire a $1.64 billion breakup fee for walking away from the deal.