GE Healthcare to Acquire Cancer Diagnostic Company Clarient Inc.
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o Addition of high-growth business will create strong technology-enabled services platform in molecular diagnostics
o Complementary capabilities in diagnostics will improve patient care, reduce costs
CHALFONT ST GILES, UK and ALISO VIEJO, Calif., Oct. 22 /-- GE Healthcare, a unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), and Clarient, Inc. (Nasdaq: CLRT) announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreement for GE Healthcare to acquire Clarient, a leading player in the fast-growing molecular diagnostics sector. Clarient's technologies, combined with GE Healthcare's strengths in diagnostic imaging, are expected to accelerate the development of new integrated tools for the diagnosis and characterization of cancer. A subsidiary of GE will commence a tender offer for all outstanding common and preferred shares of Clarient at $5.00 per common share and $20.00 per preferred share, in each case payable in cash.
Molecular diagnostics provide precise information about a patient's cancer and can help doctors decide on the best treatment. The rapid increase in the incidence of cancer worldwide, together with advances in specific cancer-focused therapies, is driving significant demand for molecular diagnostics. The global demand for cancer-profiling products and services is predicted to grow from $15 billion in 2009 to an estimated $47 billion by 2015*. Since 2005, Clarient's revenues have grown at a 68 percent compounded annual growth rate.
John Dineen, President and CEO of GE Healthcare, said, "GE Healthcare has built a world-class set of diagnostic, information and life science technologies. We are experiencing solid growth in the core business this year and we see that growth continuing into 2011. Adding Clarient's leading technology to our portfolio will accelerate our expansion into cancer diagnostics and therapy selection tools, while strongly enhancing our current diagnostic and life sciences offerings. We believe we can build a $1 billion-plus business by developing integrated diagnostic solutions for cancer and other diseases.
"GE and Clarient share a vision that through the integration of our diagnostic technologies we can help pathologists and oncologists make more confident clinical decisions, bring improvements in the quality of patient care and lower the costs of disease management," Dineen said.
Ron Andrews, CEO and Vice Chairman of Clarient, said, "The combination of Clarient's people, technologies and services with the resources, brand value, technical capabilities and global reach of GE Healthcare is a tremendous opportunity for the highly talented Clarient team. We will now have access to the resources we need to accelerate our development plans. We are proud of the progress we have made in bringing our molecular diagnostic technologies to market, and joining with GE Healthcare will allow us to realize our ambitious plans and actualize our goal of becoming one of the industry's most relevant companies in the management of cancer."
Clarient provides pathologists and oncologists with access to key diagnostic tests that shed light on the complex nature of various cancers. Clarient is focused on developing novel, proprietary diagnostic markers and tests for the profiling of breast, prostate, lung, colon and blood-based cancers, to help clinicians make informed decisions on how best to treat their patients. Given the increasing importance of more targeted cancer diagnostics, Clarient is well positioned to bring differentiated, added-value molecular diagnostic products and services to market.
Transaction Details
Commenting on the transaction, Andrews added, "We are very excited about becoming part of the GE Healthcare family, and we believe that the consideration being paid to Clarient stockholders appropriately reflects the value that we have built at Clarient. This is good news for our stockholders, for the healthcare community, and for patients."
The Board of Directors of Clarient has approved the transaction and unanimously recommended that Clarient stockholders tender their shares in the transaction. Stockholders holding approximately 47 percent of Clarient's current outstanding voting stock have agreed, among other things, to tender their shares in the proposed transaction. GE Healthcare will acquire any Clarient shares not purchased in the tender offer in a second-step merger at the same price per share paid in the tender offer. The transaction values Clarient at approximately $580 million, net of cash and investments as of June 30, 2010.
The transaction is conditioned on the tender and acceptance of at least a majority of the fully diluted common shares of Clarient in the tender offer, regulatory approvals and other customary conditions, and is expected to close in late 2010 or early 2011.
Goldman, Sachs & Co. is acting as financial advisor and Latham & Watkins LLP is acting as legal counsel to Clarient on this transaction. JP Morgan is acting as financial advisor and Sidley Austin LLP is acting as legal counsel to GE Healthcare on this transaction.
*Source BCC Research "Cancer Profiling and Pathways: Technologies and Global Markets", September 2010
About GE Healthcare
GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and services that are shaping a new age of patient care. Our broad expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, drug discovery, biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies, performance improvement and performance solutions services help our customers to deliver better care to more people around the world at a lower cost. In addition, we partner with healthcare leaders, striving to leverage the global policy change necessary to implement a successful shift to sustainable healthcare systems.
Our "healthymagination" vision for the future invites the world to join us on our journey as we continuously develop innovations focused on reducing costs, increasing access and improving quality and efficiency around the world. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, GE Healthcare is a $16 billion unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE). Worldwide, GE Healthcare employs more than 46,000 people committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries. For more information about GE Healthcare, visit our website at www.gehealthcare.com.
For our latest news, please visit newsroom.gehealthcare.com
About Clarient
Clarient combines innovative diagnostic technologies with world class pathology expertise to assess and characterize cancer. Clarient's mission is to become the leader in cancer diagnostics by dedicating itself to collaborative relationships with the healthcare community to translate cancer discovery and research into better patient care. Clarient's principal customers include pathologists, oncologists, hospitals, and biopharmaceutical companies. The rise of individualized medicine as the new direction in oncology has created the need for a centralized resource providing leading diagnostic technologies, such as flow cytometry and molecular testing. Clarient is that resource, having created a state-of-the-art commercial cancer laboratory providing advanced oncology testing and diagnostic services. Clarient's customers are connected to its Internet-based portal, PATHSITE® that delivers high resolution images and critical interpretive reports based on our diagnostic testing. Clarient also develops and markets new, proprietary "companion" diagnostic markers for therapeutics in breast, prostate, lung, ovarian, and colon cancers, and leukemia/lymphoma.
www.Clarientinc.com
SOURCE Clarient, Inc.; GE Healthcare
Media Contacts:
GE Healthcare - Americas
Aleisia Gibson
+1 609 865 4004
aleisia.gibson@ge.com
GE Healthcare - Rest of World
Dr Val Jones
+44 7917 175 192
val.jones@ge.com
Investor Contact for Clarient:
Matt Clawson
Allen & Caron Inc
(949) 474-4300
matt@allencaron.com
Web Site: www.clarientinc.com
