- The Medicines Company to be acquired by Novartis AG for $85
per share in cash, representing 45% premium to its unaffected share
price and a 57% premium to its unaffected one-week average
price
- Inclisiran, The Medicines Company’s investigational,
innovative, potent twice-annual therapy to lower LDL cholesterol,
has potential to transform treatment of cardiovascular disease
- Transaction expected to be completed in first quarter of
2020
The Medicines Company (NASDAQ: MDCO) announced today that it has
entered into definitive agreement in which Novartis AG will acquire
The Medicines Company for $85 per share in an all-cash transaction,
implying a fully diluted equity value of $9.7 billion. The price
represents a premium of approximately 45% to The Medicines
Company’s closing share price of $58.65 on November 18, 2019 (the
last trading day prior to news reports of a potential transaction
between The Medicines Company and Novartis AG). The transaction was
unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both
companies.
“Our company’s singular, relentless focus and the unwavering
commitment of our employees have led to this opportunity to unlock
the intrinsic value of inclisiran for patients and to maximize
value for our shareholders,” said Mark Timney, Chief Executive
Officer of The Medicines Company. “We are excited that millions of
patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and familial
hypercholesterolemia will potentially benefit from this
transformational therapy.”
Alexander J. Denner, Ph.D., Chairman of The Medicines Company
Board of Directors, said: “This $9.7 billion transaction is a great
outcome for shareholders of The Medicines Company. Not so long ago,
The Medicines Company was at a crossroads due to the loss of its
key revenue driver. I am proud of the company’s transformation
under a reconstituted board into a lean, highly focused team
successfully advancing an exciting new therapy and creating
tremendous value for patients and shareholders.”
“We recognized the innovative promise of inclisiran and focused
the company’s resources to advance it from early development
through phase 3 in ‘record’ time for the benefit of patients.
Inclisiran has the potential to revolutionize the treatment of
cardiovascular disease and profoundly improve the lives of millions
of people around the world.”
Dr. Denner continued, “Our vision for inclisiran is an
affordable, widely available treatment that will dramatically
reduce both the medical and economic burden of cardiovascular
disease. Given the enormous capital required to realize its full
potential, we have decided to sell to a company with resources and
scale in excess of ours.”
“On behalf of the board, I thank our outstanding management team
and talented employees for their tireless work and dedication. I
would also like to thank our partner Alnylam whose gracious support
was invaluable in consummating this transaction.”
Completion of the transaction is expected in first quarter of
2020, pending the successful completion of the tender offer and
other customary closing conditions. Until that time, The Medicines
Company will continue to operate as a separate and independent
company. The company expects to file regulatory submissions for
inclisiran in the U.S. in the fourth quarter of 2019 and in Europe
in the first quarter of 2020.
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC are
acting as financial advisors to The Medicines Company, and Paul,
Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is acting as legal
counsel for The Medicines Company.
Transaction Details
Under the terms of the merger agreement, Novartis AG will
commence a tender offer to purchase all outstanding shares of The
Medicines Company for $85 per share in cash. Following the
completion of the tender offer, a wholly owned subsidiary of
Novartis AG will merge with The Medicines Company and shares of The
Medicines Company that have not been tendered and purchased in the
tender offer will be converted into the right to receive the same
price per share in cash as paid in the tender offer (other than
shares held by stockholders who properly demand and perfect
appraisal rights under Delaware law). The tender offer and the
merger are subject to customary closing conditions, including the
tender of at least a majority of outstanding shares of The
Medicines Company and the expiration or termination of the waiting
period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act. The
tender offer and the merger are not subject to a financing
condition.
About The Medicines Company
The Medicines Company (NASDAQ: MDCO) is a biopharmaceutical
company with a singular, relentless focus on addressing the
greatest global healthcare challenge and burden today –
cardiovascular disease. Our purpose is to halt the deadly
progression of atherosclerosis and the cardiovascular risk created
by high levels of LDL-C, or bad cholesterol. The Company is
headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey. For more information,
please visit www.themedicinescompany.com and follow us on Twitter
@MDCONews and LinkedIn.
About Inclisiran
Inclisiran, the first and only cholesterol-lowering therapy in
the siRNA (small-interfering RNA) class, is The Medicines Company’s
investigational twice-yearly therapy in Phase 3 clinical
development to evaluate its ability to reduce low-density
lipoprotein cholesterol (also known as LDL-C). As a siRNA,
inclisiran harnesses the body’s natural process of RNA interference
to specifically prevent production of the PCSK9 protein in the
liver, which enhances the liver’s ability to remove LDL-C from the
bloodstream, thereby lowering LDL-C levels. In Phase 3 studies,
inclisiran reduced LDL-C up to 58% and sustained durable
time-adjusted LDL-C reductions of up to 56% throughout a
twice-yearly dosing schedule when administered along with statins
and/or ezetimibe. Inclisiran is not yet approved by the FDA or any
other regulatory authority. The Medicines Company obtained global
rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize inclisiran under a
license and collaboration agreement with Alnylam
Pharmaceuticals.
Important Information
The tender offer for the shares of outstanding common stock of
The Medicines Company has not yet commenced. This communication is
for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to
buy or a solicitation of an offer to sell any securities of The
Medicines Company. The solicitation and offer to buy common stock
of The Medicines Company will only be made pursuant to an Offer to
Purchase and related materials. At the time the tender offer is
commenced, Novartis AG and its acquisition subsidiary, Medusa
Merger Corporation, will file a tender offer statement on Schedule
TO with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the
“SEC”) and thereafter The Medicines Company will file a
Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9 with the
SEC with respect to the tender offer. INVESTORS ARE ADVISED TO READ
THE SCHEDULE TO AND THE SCHEDULE 14D-9, AS EACH MAY BE AMENDED OR
SUPPLEMENTED FROM TIME TO TIME, AS WELL AS ANY OTHER RELEVANT
DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC, WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE CAREFULLY
AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY PRIOR TO MAKING ANY DECISIONS WITH RESPECT TO
THE TENDER OFFER OR WHETHER TO TENDER THEIR SHARES PURSUANT TO THE
TENDER OFFER, BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT
THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION (INCLUDING THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE
TENDER OFFER) AND THE PARTIES THERETO. Investors may obtain a free
copy of the Solicitation/Recommendation Statement and other
documents (when available) that The Medicines Company files with
the SEC at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, or free of charge from
The Medicines Company at www.themedicinescompany.com or by
directing a request to The Medicines Company at
krishna.gorti@themedco.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This document contains forward-looking statements. These
forward-looking statements generally include statements that are
predictive in nature and depend upon or refer to future events or
conditions, and include words such as “believes,” “plans,”
“anticipates,” “projects,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,”
“strategy,” “future,” “opportunity,” “may,” “will,” “should,”
“could,” “potential,” or similar expressions. By their nature,
forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainty because
they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur
in the future, and there are many factors that could cause actual
results and developments to differ materially from those expressed
or implied by these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking
statements include, among other things, statements about the
potential benefits of the proposed transaction and similar
transactions; the prospective performance and outlook of The
Medicines Company’s business, performance and opportunities; the
ability of the parties to complete the proposed transaction and the
expected timing of completion of the proposed transaction; as well
as any assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. The following
are some of the factors that could cause actual future results to
differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking
statements: (i) uncertainties as to the timing of the tender offer
and the merger; (ii) the risk that the proposed transaction may not
be completed in a timely manner or at all; (iii) uncertainties as
to the percentage of The Medicines Company’s stockholders tendering
their shares in the tender offer; (iv) the possibility that
competing offers or acquisition proposals for The Medicines Company
will be made; (v) the possibility that any or all of the various
conditions to the consummation of the tender offer or the merger
may not be satisfied or waived, including the failure to receive
any required regulatory approvals from any applicable governmental
entities (or any conditions, limitations or restrictions placed on
such approvals); (vi) the occurrence of any event, change or other
circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the Merger
Agreement, including in circumstances that would require The
Medicines Company to pay a termination fee or other expenses; (vii)
the effect of this announcement or pendency of the proposed
transaction on The Medicines Company’s ability to retain and hire
key personnel, its ability to maintain relationships with its
customers, suppliers and others with whom it does business, its
business generally or its stock price; (viii) risks related to
diverting management’s attention from The Medicines Company’s
ongoing business operations; (ix) the risk that stockholder
litigation in connection with the proposed transaction may result
in significant costs of defense, indemnification and liability; and
(x) other factors as set forth from time to time in The Medicines
Company’s filings with the SEC, including its Form 10-K for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 and any subsequent quarterly
reports on Form 10-Qs, current reports on Form 8-K, in particular
(a) the ability of The Medicines Company to effectively develop
inclisiran; (b) whether inclisiran will advance in the clinical
trials process on a timely basis or at all, or succeed in achieving
its specified endpoints; (c) whether The Medicines Company will
make regulatory submissions for inclisiran on a timely basis; (d)
whether its regulatory submissions will receive approvals from
regulatory agencies on a timely basis or at all; (e) the extent of
the commercial success of inclisiran, if approved; (f) the
strength, durability and life of The Medicines Company’s patent
protection for inclisiran and whether The Medicines Company will be
successful in extending exclusivity. You are cautioned not to place
undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak
only as of the date hereof. All forward-looking statements are
based on information currently available to The Medicines Company,
and The Medicines Company expressly disclaims any intent or
obligation to update, supplement or revise publicly these
forward-looking statements except as required by law.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191124005080/en/
Investor Relations Krishna Gorti, M.D. Investor Relations
+1 973 290 6122 krishna.gorti@themedco.com
Media Inquiries Michael Blash Communications +1 973 290
6100 michael.blash@themedco.com
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