Lilly Completes Acquisition of Loxo Oncology

On Feb 18, 2019

Eli Lilly and Company announced the successful completion of its acquisition of Loxo Oncology. The acquisition broadens the scope of Lilly’s oncology portfolio into precision medicines through the addition of a pipeline of highly selective potential medicines for patients with genomically defined cancers.

Lilly’s tender offer for all outstanding shares of common stock of Loxo Oncology, at a price of $235.00 per share in cash, expired as scheduled at one minute past 11:59 p.m., Eastern time, on Thursday, February 14, 2019. As of the expiration of the tender offer, 26,043,820 shares of Loxo Oncology common stock were validly tendered and not properly withdrawn, representing approximately 84.6 percent of the shares of Loxo Oncology common stock outstanding, and have been accepted for payment under the terms of the tender offer. Following completion of the tender offer, Lilly completed the acquisition of Loxo Oncology through the previously-planned second-step merger.

“We are pleased to announce the completion of our acquisition of Loxo Oncology, which will expand the breadth of our portfolio into precision medicines and target cancers that are caused by specific gene abnormalities,” said Anne White, president of Lilly Oncology. “We look forward to working with the Loxo Oncology team and continuing to rapidly advance this pioneering scientific innovation and improve the lives of people with cancer.”

“The Loxo Oncology team has always been relentless and unified around the common goal of bringing highly selective medicines to patients with genomically defined cancers,” said Josh Bilenker, M.D., chief executive officer of Loxo Oncology. “With the acquisition now complete, we look forward to realizing the full value of our pipeline with the ongoing support of our teams in Connecticut, Colorado and California.”

The acquisition of Loxo Oncology provides Lilly with a promising pipeline of investigational medicines, including:

LOXO-292, a first-in-class oral RET inhibitor that has been granted Breakthrough Therapy designation by the FDA for three indications, with an initial potential launch in 2020. LOXO-292 targets cancers with alterations to the rearranged during transfection (RET) kinase. RET fusions and mutations occur across multiple tumor types, including certain lung and thyroid cancers as well as a subset of other cancers.
LOXO-305, an oral BTK inhibitor currently in Phase 1/2. LOXO-305 targets cancers with alterations to the Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK), and is designed to address acquired resistance to currently available BTK inhibitors. BTK is a validated molecular target found across numerous B-cell leukemias and lymphomas.

In November 2017, Loxo Oncology and Bayer Consumer Care AG entered into a global collaboration for the development and commercialization of the TRK inhibitors Vitrakvi (larotrectinib) and LOXO-195. The Bayer/Loxo agreement provides that Bayer may elect to convert the co-exclusive license to an exclusive license in the U.S. and Puerto Rico in the event of a change of control of Loxo Oncology. Bayer exercised its election under the Bayer/Loxo agreement to convert its co-exclusive license to an exclusive license in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, pending clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act. When the new exclusive licensing arrangement takes effect, Lilly will receive royalties from Bayer on future sales of Vitrakvi and LOXO-195 both in the U.S. and in international markets.

Lilly has reaffirmed its current 2019 financial guidance. The expected financial impact of Lilly’s acquisition of Loxo Oncology has been previously communicated and is reflected in Lilly’s current 2019 financial guidance, as announced on February 6, 2019.