CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Tranksaryotic
Therapies, Inc. (Nasdaq: TKTX) today announced that it has signed a definitive
agreement with Shire Pharmaceuticals Group plc. (LSE: SHP.L; Nasdaq: SHPGY;
TSX: SHQ) under which Shire has agreed to acquire TKT. Shire will pay $37 in
cash for each share of TKT common stock, or approximately $1.6 billion,
representing a 44% premium to $25.77, which is the last four week average of
TKT's closing share price. Closing of this transaction is subject to, among
other things, regulatory clearance and approval of the stockholders of each
company. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2005.
Upon completion of the transaction the combined company will be a
diversified business with small molecule drugs and protein therapeutics and
will be positioned to build on each company's commercial capabilities which
employ small, focused sales forces to work with specialist physicians.
TKT offers significant expertise in the discovery, development,
manufacturing and marketing of protein therapeutics. TKT has the prospect of
three commercial products in 2006. Currently, TKT sells Replagal(TM)
(agalsidase alfa), its enzyme replacement therapy for the treatment of Fabry
disease and intends to introduce Dynepo(TM) (epoetin delta), its Gene-
Activated(R) erythropoietin product for the treatment of anemia associated
with renal disease in the European Union in the first half of 2006. Recently,
TKT completed a pivotal Phase III clinical trial evaluating iduronate-2-
sulfatase (I2S), an enzyme replacement therapy for the treatment of Hunter
syndrome. The company expects to report top-line results for I2S in June 2005
and if positive, to file for regulatory approval in both the U.S. and Europe
in the second half of 2005.
Shire Chief Executive Officer, Matthew Emmens, said, "This is an important
and complementary acquisition that delivers on our strategy and brings to us a
new, sustainable area of specialty pharmaceutical expertise in a market where
there are only a small number of players. We expect that TKT's protein based
drugs and clinical development pipeline based on a proven technology platform
will enable us to diversify and broaden our revenue base, while continuing to
grow our profits and further build our pipeline and platform for growth. We
believe this acquisition positions us well for the near- and long-term. We are
looking forward to the prospect of working with our new colleagues from TKT."
TKT also announced that Michael J. Astrue, the company's Chief Executive
Officer, resigned as an officer and as a director of the company. TKT's Board
of Directors appointed David D. Pendergast, Ph.D., to serve as President and
Chief Executive Officer of TKT and elected him to the Board of Directors. Dr.
Pendergast, who was previously Chief Operating Officer of TKT, will assume
this new role effective immediately.
"We are extremely gratified that Shire has recognized the value of our
business and the dramatic progress we have made, particularly in the last two
years," said David D. Pendergast, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of TKT. "We
believe the substantial resources and capabilities of Shire can accelerate the
commercial opportunities of our products and future product candidates."
In addition, Shire and TKT have entered into a license agreement under
which TKT granted to Shire the right to manufacture, use, distribute and sell
Dynepo outside of North America. The license will only take effect if the
acquisition does not occur for specified reasons.
Warburg Pincus & Co. and certain of its affiliates, which together
beneficially own approximately 14% of the outstanding shares of the common
stock of TKT, have agreed, pursuant to a voting agreement with Shire, that
they will vote all their shares in favor of the transaction at the meeting of
TKT stockholders. If the merger agreement is terminated, however, including by
TKT in order to accept an offer from a third party that the Board of Directors
determines to be superior, the voting agreement also terminates.
SG Cowen & Co., LLC acted as financial advisor to TKT in connection with
the transaction. SG Cowen & Co., LLC and Banc of America Securities LLC each
delivered a fairness opinion to TKT.
Conference Call and Webcast:
TKT will participate on a conference call and webcast with the management
of Shire today, Thursday, April 21, 2005 at 10:45 a.m. EDT to discuss the
definitive agreement. To participate by telephone, dial (866) 224-3295 or
Standard International dial +44 (0) 1452 568 060, password: Shire.
A live audio webcast can be accessed on the TKT web site at
http://www.tktx.com within the Investor Information section.
About TKT
TKT is a biopharmaceutical company primarily focused on researching,
developing and commercializing treatments for rare diseases caused by protein
deficiencies. Within this focus, the company markets Replagal(TM), an enzyme
replacement therapy for Fabry disease, and is developing treatments for Hunter
syndrome and Gaucher disease. In addition to its focus on rare diseases, TKT
intends to commercialize Dynepo(TM), its Gene-Activated(R) erythropoietin
product for anemia related to kidney disease, in the European Union. TKT was
founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with
additional operations in Europe, Canada and South America. Additional
information about TKT is available on the company's website at
http://www.tktx.com.
Important Additional Information Will Be Filed with the SEC
TKT plans to file with the SEC and mail to its stockholders a Proxy
Statement in connection with the transaction. The Proxy Statement will
contain important information about TKT, the transaction and related matters.
Investors and security holders are urged to read the Proxy Statement carefully
when it is available.
Investors and security holders will be able to obtain free copies of the
Proxy Statement and other documents filed with the SEC by the company through
the web site maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.
In addition, investors and security holders will be able to obtain free
copies of the Proxy Statement from TKT by contacting Corporate Communications,
700 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02139.
TKT, and its directors and executive officers, may be deemed to be
participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect of the transactions
contemplated by the merger agreement. Information regarding TKT's directors
and executive officers is contained in TKT's Annual Report on Form 10-K for
the year ended December 31, 2004, its proxy statement dated April 27, 2004,
and its Current Reports on Form 8-K dated March 30, 2005 and April 15, 2005,
each of which is filed with the SEC. As of April 1, 2005, TKT's directors and
executive officers and their affiliates, including Warburg Pincus & Co.,
beneficially owned approximately 5,333,922 shares, or 15%, of TKT's common
stock. All outstanding options for TKT common stock, whether or not vested,
including those held by current directors and executive officers, will be
cashed out in the merger based on the $37 per share purchase price. In
addition, Shire has committed to maintaining TKT's 2005 Management Bonus Plan,
in which the company's executive officers participate in accordance with its
current terms in respect of the 2005 performance year. Following the merger,
Shire has agreed to provide certain retention and severance benefits to TKT's
employees, including its executive officers. A more complete description will
be available in the Proxy Statement when it is filed with the SEC.
Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding the
proposed transaction between Shire and TKT, the company's development of
certain products, including Replagal, I2S and Dynepo, the timing of clinical
trials, clinical trial results and regulatory filings, and statements
regarding the company's financial outlook, as well as statements about future
expectations, beliefs, goals, plans or prospects, including statements
containing the words "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects,"
"estimates," "intends," "should," "could," "will," "may," and similar
expressions. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking
statements, including: the ability to obtain the approval of the stockholders
of each company; the ability to consummate the transaction; whether any of the
company's products will achieve the commercial success anticipated by the
company; whether competing products will reduce the market opportunity for
such products; whether I2S will be safe and effective as a treatment for
Hunter syndrome; whether GA-GCB will be safe and effective as a treatment for
Gaucher disease; whether the company will be able to successfully complete
clinical trials of its products; enrollment rates for clinical trials; whether
the results of clinical trials, will be indicative of results obtained in
later clinical trials; whether future clinical trials will be conducted and
conducted on a timely basis; the ability of the company and its collaborators
to successfully complete development of its products; the ability to
manufacture sufficient quantities of its products to satisfy both clinical
trial requirements and commercial demand; the timing of submissions to and
decisions by regulatory authorities in the United States, Europe, Japan and
other countries regarding clinical trials and marketing and other
applications; whether the FDA and equivalent regulatory authorities grant
marketing approval for the company's products on a timeline consistent with
the company's expectations, or at all; the availability and extent of coverage
from third party payors and the receipt of reimbursement approvals for the
company's products; whether competing products will reduce any market
opportunity that may exist; results of litigation; whether the company will be
successful in establishing European manufacturing for Dynepo; and other
factors set forth under the caption "Certain Factors That May Affect Future
Results" in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2004, which is on file with the SEC and which factors are
incorporated herein by reference. While the company may elect to update
forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the company
specifically disclaims any obligation to do so, even if its expectations
change.
Gene-Activated(R) is a registered trademark and Replagal(TM) is a
trademark of Transkaryotic Therapies, Inc. Dynepo(TM) is a trademark of
Sanofi-Aventis.
Investor Contact Media Contact
Justine Koenigsberg Barbara Yates
(617) 349-0271 (781) 258-6153
SOURCE Tranksaryotic Therapies, Inc.
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http://www.tktx.com
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Company News On-Call:
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CONTACT:
Justine Koenigsberg, Investor Contact,
+1-617-349-0271, or Barbara Yates, Media Contact,
+1-781-258-6153, both of Tranksaryotic Therapies, Inc.
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