The Basel-based pharma company Roche is to acquire the U.S. company Flatiron Health, which develops software solutions for use in oncology.
According to a press release, Roche had an existing equity stake of 12.6 per cent in Flatiron Health, but the two companies have now reached an agreement whereby Roche will make a payment of USD 1.9 billion to acquire all remaining shares. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2018.
Flatiron Health, which has its headquarters in New York City, is a developer of oncology-specific electronic health record (EHR) software and also focuses on data analysis solutions for cancer research. With its large network of community oncology practices and academic medical centres, Flatiron Health has created a technology platform designed to learn from the experiences of every patient.
Daniel O’Day, CEO of Roche Pharmaceuticals, comments: “This is an important step in our personalised healthcare strategy for Roche, as we believe that regulatory-grade real-world evidence is a key ingredient to accelerate the development of, and access to, new cancer treatments.”
Flatiron Health has developed new approaches for how real-world evidence may be used in regulatory decision making. It has also launched software that “uniquely positions the company to advance the use of real-world evidence at the point of care,” Roche explains. “As a leading technology company in oncology, Flatiron Health is best positioned to provide the technology and data analytics infrastructure needed not only for Roche, but for oncology research and development efforts across the entire industry. A key principle of this is to preserve Flatiron’s autonomy and their ability to continue providing their services to all existing and future partners,” said Daniel O’Day.
