REYKJAVIK, Iceland, Jan. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- deCODE genetics announced today that it has entered into an agreement with NBI, an Icelandic financial institution, pursuant to which NBI has purchased deCODE’s auction rate securities for an aggregate price of $11 million. Pursuant to the agreement, deCODE has the call option to require NBI to sell the securities back to the company at any time prior to December 31, 2009. NBI has the put option to require deCODE to repurchase the securities following the sale of certain other deCODE assets, or if not previously repurchased, on December 31, 2009.
deCODE is continuing its policy of reducing expenses while completing the evaluation of its strategic alternatives, including corporate partnerships and the sale of assets. deCODE believes that the proceeds from the sale of the auction rate securities will be sufficient to sustain operations into the second quarter, enabling the company to complete its strategic review and to pursue the best opportunities emerging from this process without seeking additional financing.
About deCODE
deCODE is a bio-pharmaceutical company developing drugs and DNA-based tests to improve the treatment, diagnosis and prevention of common diseases. Its lead therapeutic programs, which leverage the company’s expertise in chemistry and structural biology, include DG041, an antiplatelet compound being developed for the prevention of arterial thrombosis; DG051 and DG031, compounds targeting the leukotriene pathway for the prevention of heart attack; and DG071 and a platform for other PDE4 modulators with therapeutic applications in Alzheimer’s disease and other conditions. deCODE is a global leader in human genetics, and has identified key variations in the genome (SNPs) conferring increased risk of major public health challenges from cardiovascular disease to cancer. Based upon these discoveries deCODE has brought to market a growing range of DNA-based tests for gauging risk and empowering prevention of common diseases. Through its CLIA-registered laboratory, deCODE offers deCODE T2(TM) for type 2 diabetes; deCODE AF(TM) for atrial fibrillation and stroke; deCODE MI(TM) for heart attack; deCODE ProstateCancer(TM) for prostate cancer; deCODE Glaucoma(TM) for a major type of glaucoma; and deCODE BreastCancer(TM), for the common forms of breast cancer. deCODE is delivering on the promise of the new genetics(SM). Visit us on the web at www.decode.com; on our diagnostics site at www.decodediagnostics.com; for our pioneering personal genome analysis service and new Cardio and Cancer scans, integrating the genetic variants included in these tests and those linked to another twenty common diseases, at www.decodeme.com; and on our blog at www.decodeyou.com.
Any statements contained in this presentation that relate to future plans, events or performance are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, and the timing of events, to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among others, those relating to our ability to obtain financing and to form collaborative relationships, the effect of a potential delisting of our common stock from The Nasdaq Global Market, uncertainty regarding potential future deterioration in the market for auction rate securities which could negatively affect our cash position and result in additional permanent impairment charges, our ability to develop and market diagnostic products, the level of third party reimbursement for our products, risks related to preclinical and clinical development of pharmaceutical products, including the identification of compounds and the completion of clinical trials, the effect of government regulation and the regulatory approval processes, market acceptance, our ability to obtain and protect intellectual property rights for our products, dependence on collaborative relationships, the effect of competitive products, industry trends and other risks identified in deCODE’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, the risk factors identified in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any updates to those risk factors filed from time to time in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K. deCODE undertakes no obligation to update or alter these forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
CONTACT: Joy Bessenger, +1-212-481-3891, joy.bessenger@decode.is, or
Edward Farmer, +354 570 2819, edward.farmer@decode.is, or Gisli Arnason,
+354 570 1825, gisli.arnason@decode.is, all of deCODE
Web site: http://www.decode.com/
http://www.decodediagnostics.com/
http://www.decodeme.com/
http://www.decodeyou.com/
