Divestment of Viela shareholding completed

RNS Number : 3824S

AstraZeneca PLC

16 March 2021

 

16 March 2021 07:05 GMT

Divestment of Viela shareholding completed

AstraZeneca has completed the divestment of its 26.7% ownership in Viela Bio, Inc. (Viela), as part of the proposed acquisition of Viela by Horizon Therapeutics plc. This follows the agreement to divest the shareholding on 1 February 2021 .

Financial considerations

AstraZeneca has received cash proceeds and profit of c.$775m. This will be accounted for in other operating income in the Company's financial statements. The divestment does not impact the Company's financial guidance for 2021.

Viela

Viela (Nasdaq: VIE), headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland, is a biotechnology company dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialisation of novel treatments for autoimmune and severe inflammatory diseases. Viela was founded in 2018 as a spinout from AstraZeneca, with clinical and pre-clinical projects from AstraZeneca's inflammation and autoimmunity pipeline.

AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/Nasdaq: AZN) is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of diseases in three therapy areas - Oncology, Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, and Respiratory & Immunology. Based in Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. Please visit astrazeneca.com and follow the Company on Twitter @AstraZeneca.

AstraZeneca contacts

For details on how to contact the Investor Relations Team, please click here. For Media contacts, click here.

Adrian Kemp

Company Secretary

AstraZeneca PLC

 

END

 

 

MSCZZGMFVVLGMZG