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25 February 2019Americas

Roche to make $4.3bn gene therapy acquisition

Switzerland-based  Roche will buy gene therapy company  Spark Therapeutics in a $4.3 billion deal.

Roche will pay $114.50 per share for Spark, representing a premium of approximately 122% to Spark Therapeutics’ closing price on Friday, February 22.

The deal,  announced today, February 25, will see Roche acquire Spark’s lead clinical asset SPK-8011, a gene therapy for the treatment of haemophilia A. SPK-8011 is expected to start Phase 3 in 2019.

Severin Schwan, CEO of Roche, said: “Spark Therapeutics’ proven expertise in the entire gene therapy value chain may offer important new opportunities for the treatment of serious diseases.”

Based in Philadelphia, Spark focuses on discovering, developing and delivering gene therapies for genetic diseases, including blindness, haemophilia, lysosomal storage disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.

Spark was the first company to receive US Food and Drug Administration approval for a gene therapy for a genetic disease in 2017. Luxturna (voretigene neparvovec-rzyl) is a one-time gene therapy product for the treatment of vision loss due to confirmed biallelic RPE65-mediated inherited retinal disease (IRD).

Those with living with IRD due to biallelic RPE65 gene mutations often experience night blindness and involuntary back-and-forth eye movements.

Jeffrey Marrazzo, CEO of Spark, added: “As the only biotechnology company that has successfully commercialised a gene therapy for a genetic disease in the US, we have built unmatched competencies in the discovery, development and delivery of genetic medicines.”

He added that Roche’s worldwide reach and extensive resources will help Spark accelerate the development of more gene therapies.

Spark will continue its operations in Philadelphia as an independent company within the Roche group.

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17 April 2019   Contract drug manufacturer Catalent has agreed to acquire Paragon Bioservices, a viral vector development and manufacturing partner for gene therapies, for $1.2 billion.
Americas
19 November 2019   Switzerland-based Roche has agreed to acquire Promedior and its portfolio of molecules for serious fibrotic diseases.
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