Acquisition of Prosensa provides near-term opportunity to commercialize, if approved, its exon-skipping drug candidate, drisapersen, for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD)
Drisapersen is currently under a rolling review as part of a New Drug Application process and has Orphan, Fast Track and Breakthrough Therapy designation by the FDA
Drisapersen, a potential first-to-market and best-in-class product for treating a large population of patients with a rare, fatal genetic disease represents up to 10,000 DMD patients
Follow-on products leveraging Prosensa’s same technology platform in the pipeline target an additional 35,000 DMD patients in BioMarin’s commercial territories
Investor conference call to be held today, November 24, 2014 at 5am PST (8am EST)
SAN RAFAEL, Calif., November 24, 2014 — BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (NASDAQ: BMRN) and Prosensa Holding N.V. (NASDAQ: RNA) today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement in which BioMarin will offer to purchase all of the outstanding ordinary shares of Prosensa for $17.75 per share, for a total up front consideration of approximately $680 million. In addition, two approximately $80 million contingent milestones are payable for the approval of drisapersen in the U.S. no later than May 15, 2016 and Europe no later than February 15, 2017, respectively. “BioMarin is dedicated to the rare disease community, and the acquisition of Prosensa fits strategically with our mission of delivering therapies that address serious unmet medical needs,” said Jean-Jacques Bienaimé, Chief Executive Officer of BioMarin. “We are committed to working closely with regulatory authorities worldwide in bringing a potentially breakthrough therapy to patients with this devastating condition.”
Mr. Bienaimé continued, “We will leverage our experience at developing rare disease therapies to achieve regulatory approvals and bring drisapersen to market as quickly as possible. Further, if we are successful in advancing drisapersen to early regulatory approvals, we believe this transaction would be accretive to operating and GAAP profitability in 2017.”
Pat Furlong, President and Founder of Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy said, “BioMarin has a successful track record of developing new therapies for people with devastating disorders and for effectively collaborating with health authorities and patient communities. We look forward to working with BioMarin to bring new treatments to boys with Duchenne and other forms of muscular dystrophy.”
Under the terms of the definitive agreement, BioMarin will offer to acquire all of Prosensa’s issued and outstanding ordinary shares and all ordinary share equivalents in an all cash transaction for $17.75 per share for an upfront purchase price of approximately $680 million. Prosensa shareholders may also receive two regulatory milestone payments of approximately $80 million for receiving approval in the U.S. no later than May 15, 2016 and in Europe no later than February 15, 2017, respectively. In addition, within 5 business days of signing the purchase agreement BioMarin will purchase from Prosensa a $50 million convertible note. If the transaction fails to close for any reason, the note will automatically convert into 4,395,914 shares of Prosensa’s stock.The transaction is expected to be accounted for as a business combination. BioMarin will maintain operations at Prosensa’s headquarters, based in Leiden, The Netherlands and integrate Prosensa personnel from that office.
The acquisition will provide BioMarin with worldwide rights to multiple orphan-drug candidates, including drisapersen, which is currently under rolling review as part of a New Drug Application (NDA) with the Food and Drug Administration. Prosensa’s pipeline is comprised of several potential products that leverage their proprietary RNA-modulating technology platform for the treatment of various genotypes of Duchenne muscular dystrophy and other genetic disorders.Hans Schikan, Chief Executive Officer of Prosensa added, “BioMarin has established itself as a leader in rare diseases, characterized by strong management, thorough execution, and a resounding commitment to patients in developing and commercializing treatments where there is a high unmet medical need. This transaction will enhance Prosensa’s mission by bringing innovative therapies to patients across the world as quickly and efficiently as possible. The deal also creates shareholder value by positioning Prosensa’s strong portfolio of orphan drug candidates for future success with a prominent rare disease company that has the experience and dedication to bring drisapersen and our follow-on compounds to the hands of patients who desperately need them.”BioMarin will effect the transaction primarily through a tender offer for all of the issued and outstanding Prosensa ordinary shares (the “Offer”) and expect to close in the first quarter of 2015. The commencement of the Offer will be subject to having obtained workers council advice, and the consummation of the Offer is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions for a transaction of this nature, including the tender of at least 80% of the issued and outstanding Prosensa ordinary shares and the receipt of regulatory clearance. Following completion of the Offer, the Supervisory Board of Prosensa will consist of five individuals designated by BioMarin and two individuals who currently serve on the Supervisory Board of Prosensa, who will act as independent directors. The two independent directors will, in accordance with Dutch practice, act as independent supervisory directors to protect the interest of any minority shareholders until BioMarin utilizes certain available reorganization structures available under Dutch law to acquire full ownership of Prosensa’s outstanding shares and/or its business. An Extraordinary General Meeting will be convened in connection with the Offer and to adopt, among other things, certain resolutions relating to the reorganization of Prosensa.
