Roche to make $1.9bn acquisition
Switzerland-based Roche has revealed plans to acquire a healthcare technology company for $1.9 billion.
The deal, which was announced on Thursday, February 15, will see Roche acquire all of the shares in Flatiron Health, following on from an existing equity stake of 12.6%.
Headquartered in New York City, Flatiron Health operates oncology-focused electronic health record software, and curates and develops platforms for cancer research.
Daniel O’Day, CEO of Roche, said that the acquisition is an important step in the company’s personalised healthcare strategy.
He added that real-world evidence is a “key ingredient” to accelerate the development of, and access to, new cancer treatments.
“As a leading technology company in oncology, Flatiron Health is best positioned to provide the technology and data analytics infrastructure needed not only for Roche, but for oncology research and development efforts across the entire industry,” concluded O’Day.
Nat Turner, Flatiron Health co-founder and CEO, added: “Roche has been a tremendous partner to us over the past two years and shares our vision for building a learning healthcare platform in oncology ultimately designed to improve the lives of cancer patients.”
The first two months of 2018 have seen a flurry of mergers and acquisitions activity.
Last week, LSIPR reported that Bristol-Myers Squibb had agreed to pay $1.85 billion for an immuno-oncology programme.
In January, Sanofi announced plans to acquire Bioverativ, a US-based biotech company focused on haemophilia treatments, for approximately $11.6 billion.
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