CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and CARLSBAD, Calif., Feb. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Genzyme Corp. and Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that they have received clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act for their collaboration, which was announced on January 7, 2008. Based on this approval, Genzyme will pay Isis $150 million to purchase five million shares of Isis common stock for $30 per share.
Upon completion of final contracts, Genzyme will pay to Isis an additional up-front cash payment of $175 million for the exclusive licensing of mipomersen. As part of the strategic alliance, Genzyme will develop and commercialize mipomersen, a breakthrough, potential blockbuster lipid-lowering treatment for high risk cardiovascular patients that utilizes Isis’ novel antisense technology. Isis will also be eligible to receive milestone and profit sharing payments for mipomersen, which is currently in phase 3 development. In addition, Genzyme will have preferred access to future drugs developed by Isis for CNS and certain rare diseases.
ABOUT GENZYME
One of the world’s leading biotechnology companies, Genzyme is dedicated to making a major positive impact on the lives of people with serious diseases. Since 1981, the company has grown from a small start-up to a diversified enterprise with more than 10,000 employees in locations spanning the globe and 2006 revenues of $3.2 billion. In 2007, Genzyme was chosen to receive the National Medal of Technology, the highest honor awarded by the President of the United States for technological innovation.
With many established products and services helping patients in nearly 90 countries, Genzyme is a leader in the effort to develop and apply the most advanced technologies in the life sciences. The company’s products and services are focused on rare inherited disorders, kidney disease, orthopaedics, cancer, transplant and diagnostic testing. Genzyme’s commitment to innovation continues today with a substantial development program focused on these fields, as well as immune disease, infectious disease and other areas of unmet medical need.
Genzyme’s press releases and other company information are available at http://www.genzyme.com and by calling Genzyme’s investor information line at 1-800-905-4369 within the United States or 1-678-999-4572 outside the United States.
ABOUT ISIS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
Isis is exploiting its expertise in RNA to discover and develop novel drugs for its product pipeline and for its partners. The Company has successfully commercialized the world’s first antisense drug and has 18 drugs in development. Isis’ drug development programs are focused on treating cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Isis’ partners are developing antisense drugs invented by Isis to treat a wide variety of diseases. Ibis Biosciences, Inc., Isis’ majority-owned subsidiary, is developing and commercializing the Ibis T5000(TM) Biosensor System, a revolutionary system to identify infectious organisms. Isis is a joint owner of Regulus Therapeutics LLC, a joint venture focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of microRNA therapeutics. As an innovator in RNA-based drug discovery and development, Isis is the owner or exclusive licensee of over 1,500 issued patents worldwide. Additional information about Isis is available at http://www.isispharm.com.
GENZYME SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including the statements regarding the completion of negotiations on a final license agreement for mipomersen. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among others, Genzyme’s favorable completion of its due diligence review on mipomersen, the ability of the parties to agree to final contract terms and the risks and uncertainties described in reports filed by Genzyme with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including without limitation the information under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations section of the Genzyme Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ending September 30, 2007. Genzyme cautions investors not to place substantial reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and Genzyme undertakes no obligation to update or revise the statements.
Genzyme(R) is a registered trademark of Genzyme Corporation. All rights reserved.
ISIS SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT
This press release includes forward-looking statements regarding Isis’ collaboration with Genzyme Corporation, and its financial and business development activities. Any statement describing Isis’ goals, expectations, financial or other projections, intentions or beliefs is a forward-looking statement and should be considered an at-risk statement, including those statements that are described as Isis’ goals. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, particularly those inherent in the process of discovering, developing and commercializing drugs that are safe and effective for use as human therapeutics, and in the endeavor of building a business around such products. Isis’ forward-looking statements also involve assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove correct, could cause its results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although Isis’ forward-looking statements reflect the good faith judgment of its management, these statements are based only on facts and factors currently known by Isis. As a result, you are cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These and other risks concerning Isis’ programs are described in additional detail in Isis’ annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006, and its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2007, which are on file with the SEC. Copies of these and other documents are available from the Company.
Isis Pharmaceuticals is a registered trademark of Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Ibis Biosciences and Ibis T5000 are trademarks of Ibis Biosciences, Inc.
Regulus Therapeutics is a trademark of Regulus Therapeutics LLC.
CONTACT: Patrick Flanigan (Investors), +1-617-768-6563, or Erin Emlock
(Media), +1-617-768-6923, both of Genzyme Corp.; or Kristina Lemonidis
(Investors), +1-760-603-2490, or Amy Blackley, Ph.D. (Media),
+1-760-603-2772, both of Isis Pharmaceuticals
Web site: http://www.genzyme.com/
http://www.isispharm.com/
Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/104284.html /
