Illumina
Illumina has recently been at the center of acquisition-related activity and announcements. The company purchased two companies, Verinata Health and Moleculo, in January (see IBO 1/15/13). It also ended its pursuit of another. On January 8, the company announced it had withdrawn its offer to acquire sequencing service provider Complete Genomics (see IBO 11/30/12). The news came one day after the proposed acquisition of Complete Genomics by BGI-Shenzhen received approval from the US Federal Trade Commission. In late December, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States gave its approval to the deal.
Also, Roche ended speculation this month as to whether it was currently attempting to acquire Illumina, after the company abandoned a hostile acquisition attempt last spring (see IBO 4/30/12). Roche Chairman Franz Humer told SonntagsZeitung that “Illumina for us was a ‘nice to have,’ not a must have,” adding, “The other side wasn’t ready to retreat from their totally excessive price demands,” according to the Financial Times.
The acquisition activity has also resulted in Illumina becoming a competitor with two customers. Verinata competes with Sequenom, whose non-invasive prenatal tests run on Illumina sequencers. Verinata has also filed suit against Sequenom for patent infringement. Complete Genomics, whose services compete with Illumina’s services business, will soon be owned by BGI-Shenzhen, an Illumina customer.