AZ expands alliance with BMS through Amlyn

RNS Number : 5820G

AstraZeneca PLC

02 July 2012

 



BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB AND ASTRAZENECA EXPAND DIABETES ALLIANCE THROUGH BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB'S ACQUISITION OF AMYLIN PHARMACEUTICALS

Strengthens leadership position of successful alliance in growing area of high unmet
medical need.

Complements current portfolio creating a more comprehensive disease management
platform with the addition of novel GLP-1 franchise

Adds approved and marketed products for type 2 diabetes, including BYETTA^Ò
and BYDUREON^Ò

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that Bristol-Myers Squibb will acquire Amylin for $31.00 per share in cash, pursuant to a cash tender offer and second step merger, or an aggregate purchase price of approximately $5.3 billion. The total value of the transaction, including Amylin's net debt and a contractual payment obligation to Eli Lilly and Company, together totalling about $1.7 billion, is approximately $7 billion. The acquisition has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of Bristol-Myers Squibb and Amylin. The board of directors of Amylin has unanimously recommended that Amylin's stockholders tender their shares to the tender offer.

Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca announced today that, following the completion of Bristol-Myers Squibb's acquisition of Amylin, the companies will enter into collaboration arrangements, based on the framework of the existing diabetes alliance, regarding the development and commercialisation of Amylin's portfolio of products. Following Bristol-Myers Squibb's acquisition of Amylin, AstraZeneca will make a payment to Amylin, as a wholly owned subsidiary of Bristol-Myers Squibb, in the amount of approximately $3.4 billion in cash. Profits and losses arising from the collaboration will be shared equally. In addition, AstraZeneca has the option, exercisable at its sole discretion, to establish equal governance rights over key strategic and financial decisions regarding the collaboration, upon the payment to Bristol-Myers Squibb of an additional $135 million. These collaboration arrangements have been approved by the boards of directors of Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca.

Amylin is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialisation of innovative medicines for patients with diabetes and other metabolic diseases. Amylin's primary focus is on the research, development and commercialisation of a franchise of GLP-1 agonists for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

"Amylin's innovative diabetes portfolio, talented people and state-of-the-art manufacturing facility complement our long-standing leadership in metabolics," said Lamberto Andreotti, Chief Executive Officer, Bristol-Myers Squibb. "We are pleased to be able to strengthen the portfolio we have built to help patients with diabetes by building on the success Amylin has had with its GLP-1 franchise. The acquisition of Amylin by Bristol-Myers Squibb is also a unique way for Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca to expand the alliance between the two companies, and it demonstrates Bristol-Myers Squibb's innovative and targeted approach to partnerships and business development."

Simon Lowth, Interim Chief Executive Officer of AstraZeneca, said: "This is a compelling proposition that will have an immediate positive impact on revenues and is fully in line with our stated partnering strategy to enhance top-line growth and strengthen our late-stage pipeline. The broadening of our diabetes collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb is another important step towards creating a leadership position in the treatment of a disease with growing unmet medical need that is reaching epidemic proportions in many areas of the world. The combined development, regulatory and commercial strengths of the AstraZeneca and Bristol-Myers Squibb alliance for diabetes provides an excellent platform to unlock the potential of Amylin's differentiated treatments for the benefit of patients worldwide and for our shareholders."

"We are pleased to announce this transaction that provides substantial value for Amylin shareholders," said Daniel M. Bradbury, President and Chief Executive Officer of Amylin. "Over the last several months, our Board of Directors, with the assistance of our financial and legal advisors, has been actively engaged in a robust and thorough strategic process designed to maximize the value of our unique diabetes franchise. I strongly believe that we have accomplished that objective. Our recent US launch of BYDUREON, the first ever once-weekly therapy for patients with type 2 diabetes, solidified our position as a driving force in the fight against this rising global epidemic. Importantly, this transaction with Bristol-Myers Squibb and their alliance with AstraZeneca provide the means to maximize the potential and impact of Amylin's innovative diabetes therapies and reach more patients around the world with treatment options to help manage their disease. In addition, I would like to acknowledge and thank the dedicated employees of Amylin whose tireless efforts are responsible for creating the tremendous value that is being recognized today by two of the most respected companies in the pharmaceutical industry."

Amylin's assets include:

·     A GLP-1 franchise, including two treatments for type 2 diabetes, BYETTA^Ò (exenatide) injection and BYDUREON^Ò (exenatide extended-release for injectable suspension/exenatide 2 mg powder and solvent for prolonged release suspension for injection), approved for use in both the US and Europe, and a life-cycle management pipeline, including delivery devices and formulation improvements. The addition of the Amylin GLP-1 franchise complements Bristol-Myers Squibb's and AstraZeneca's current diabetes portfolio creating a comprehensive disease management platform;

·     Metreleptin, a leptin analog currently under review at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of diabetes and/or hypertriglyceridema (high levels of triglycerides in the bloodstream) in patients with rare forms of inherited or acquired lipodystrophy;

·     SYMLIN^Ò (pramlintide acetate) injection, an amylin analog, approved by the FDA for the treatment of type 1 and type 2 diabetes patients with inadequate glycemic control on meal-time insulin; and

·     A state-of-the-art sterile production facility in Ohio.

Under the terms of the definitive merger agreement between Bristol-Myers Squibb and Amylin, Bristol-Myers Squibb will commence a cash tender offer to purchase all of the outstanding shares of Amylin's common stock for $31.00 per share. The closing of the tender offer is subject to customary terms and conditions, including the tender of a number of shares that constitutes at least a majority of Amylin's outstanding shares of common stock, on a fully diluted basis, and expiration or termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act. The agreement also provides for the parties to effect, subject to customary conditions, a merger to be completed following the completion of the tender offer which would result in all shares not tendered in the tender offer being converted into the right to receive $31.00 per share in cash. The merger agreement contains a provision under which Amylin has agreed not to solicit any competing offers for the company. Bristol-Myers Squibb will finance the acquisition from its existing cash resources and credit facilities.

The companies expect the tender offer to close approximately thirty days after commencement of the tender offer.

AstraZeneca intends to finance its $3.4 billion share of the transaction from existing cash resources and credit facilities. AstraZeneca reaffirms its commitment to its progressive dividend policy. AstraZeneca has previously guided that it intends to make share repurchases of up to $4.5 billion in 2012, subject to market conditions and business needs. 

Based on the anticipated timing of the close of the transaction, the transaction will have no impact on AstraZeneca's guidance range for Core earnings per share in 2012, which, in line with normal practice for AstraZeneca, will be reviewed in conjunction with the Second Quarter and Half Year Results Announcement on 26 July. This transaction will be dilutive to AstraZeneca's Core and Reported EPS in 2012 and 2013, with both measures becoming accretive from 2014. Meaningful accretion is projected thereafter.

Advisers

Citi and Evercore are serving as financial advisers to Bristol-Myers Squibb in connection with the acquisition and Kirkland & Ellis LLP is its legal adviser. Bank of America Merrill Lynch is serving as financial adviser to AstraZeneca in connection with the transactions and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and Covington & Burling LLP are its legal advisers. Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Goldman Sachs & Co. are serving as financial advisers to Amylin in connection with the acquisition and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is its legal adviser.

About the Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca Collaboration

Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca entered into a collaboration in January 2007 to enable the companies to research, develop and commercialise select investigational drugs for type 2 diabetes. The Bristol-Myers Squibb/AstraZeneca diabetes collaboration is focused around

ONGLYZA^Ò(saxagliptin), part of the innovative class of DPP-4 inhibitors, and dapagliflozin, an SGLT2 inhibitor, and is dedicated to global patient care, improving patient outcomes and creating a new vision for the treatment of diabetes. ONGLYZA has been submitted for regulatory approval in 93 countries and is approved in 77 countries including the US, Canada, Mexico, EU, India, Brazil and China. Dapagliflozin received a positive opinion from the CHMP in Europe in April 2012.

About AstraZeneca 

AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical business with a primary focus on the discovery, development and commercialization of prescription medicines for gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neuroscience, respiratory and inflammation, oncology and infectious disease. AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. For more information please visit: www.astrazeneca.com

About Bristol-Myers Squibb

Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. For more information, please visit http://www.bms.com or follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bmsnews.

About Amylin Pharmaceuticals

Amylin Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving lives of patients through the discovery, development and commercialisation of innovative medicines. Amylin is committed to delivering novel therapies that transform the way diabetes and other metabolic disorders are treated. For the 12 months to 31 December 2011, Amylin reported an operating loss of $491 million and as at 31 March 2012, Amylin had gross assets of $2,007 million. Amylin is headquartered in San Diego, Calif. and has a commercial manufacturing facility in Ohio. More information about Amylin Pharmaceuticals is available at www.amylin.com.

CONTACTS

AstraZeneca:

Media Enquiries

Esra Erkal-Paler         [phone]
Sarah Lindgreen         [phone]

Investor Enquiries UK

James Ward-Lilley      [phone]      mob: [phone]

Karl Hård                     [phone]    mob: [phone]

Investor Enquiries US

Ed Seage                    [phone]        mob: [phone]

Bristol-Myers Squibb:

Media

Jennifer Fron Mauer    [phone]        [e-mail];

Laura Hortas               [phone]        [e-mail].

Investors

Teri Loxam                  [phone]        [e-mail];

Timothy Power            [phone]        [e-mail].

Amylin:

Media

Alice Izzo                     [phone]        [e-mail]

Investors

Christine                      [phone]        [e-mail]

Everett-Zedelmayer

Monday 2 July 2012

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