Prenetics Global Limited (NASDAQ: PRE), a leader in genomic and
diagnostic testing, today announced that it is acquiring a majority
stake in ACT Genomics Holdings Company Limited (“ACT”), an Asia
based genomics company specializing in precision oncology with
operations in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and in
the UK.
"With the addition of ACT’s technologies, capabilities and team,
Prenetics will be well-positioned to accelerate the utilization of
genetic information throughout a cancer patient's journey. Starting
from risk profiling and diagnostic testing, moving to therapy
optimization, monitoring and recurrence surveillance, Prenetics
will be able to deliver the information needed to enable
best-in-class personalized cancer care," said Danny Yeung
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Prenetics. "Every year in
Asia, there are 9 million+ cancer patients with limited options, it
is our goal to democratize testing and make cancer genomics
accessible to all. Lastly, we are actively in close discussions on
additional M&A opportunities as we still have more than US$230
million+ in cash and receivables on our balance sheet."
In connection with the acquisition, Prof. Tony Mok will be
appointed to Prenetics Scientific Advisory Board, effective January
1, 2023. Prof. Mok currently serves as Chair Professor of the
Department of Clinical Oncology of Chinese University of Hong Kong,
is a non-executive director of AstraZeneca plc (AZN LON), and an
independent director of HUTCHMED (China) Limited (Nasdaq/AIM: HCM;
HKEX:13).
"We are very pleased to join forces with Prenetics, a company
and team with which we have a shared vision to revolutionize and
promote cancer molecular diagnostics in Asia," said Prof. Tony Mok,
Chairman of the Board, of ACT. "ACT has achieved breakthrough
success since its founding in 2014, and had joined forces with
Sanomics since 2021 in pioneering and promoting precision medicine
cancer treatment management. Our flagship ACTOnco+ has provided
oncologists and cancer patients with valuable biomarker information
for therapy selection. This transaction provides ownership in a
combined company with enhanced financial strength and the
commercial and R&D capabilities to continue to drive
significant growth, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. I am
incredibly proud and excited about the future impact of Prenetics
and ACT on patient care."
Dr. Hua Chien Chen, CEO of ACT, says "We are very excited in
joining the Prenetics family. The investment and partnership of
Prenetics into ACT will significantly broaden our horizon in terms
of product offerings, business strategy and vision. Our team is
ready to make meaningful contributions to the enlarged group with
our technical expertise, as well as our first-hand clinical
experience. The synergy and combined resources will enable us to
provide more comprehensive solutions and better services to more
patients and pharmaceutical companies in greater geographies."
Mr. Albert Wong, Chief Executive Officer of Hong Kong Science
and Technology Parks Corporation, said, "We are thrilled to witness
this milestone, which is a clear vote of confidence in Hong Kong’s
ambition to become a biomedical technology center of excellence. It
was only last year when we saw the merger of two healthtech
pioneers from the Hong Kong Science Park, ACT Genomics and
Sanomics. The acquisition by Science Park incubatee, Prenetics, is
a testament to the high-quality innovation ecosystem and
translational research infrastructure that have been established at
the Park over the past 20 years. Backed by government support and
its unique advantages, Hong Kong is open to innovators from around
the world who want to come and accelerate their future
success."
Creating a Leader in Comprehensive Cancer Genetics and
Precision Oncology
- Transforming the
Future of Cancer Diagnostics: The Prenetics R&D team has
developed robust clinical and evidence generation capabilities,
which are complemented and enhanced by the addition of the ACT
R&D engine which specializes in next-generation sequencing
(NGS) and bioinformatics in both tissue and liquid biopsy. The
combined R&D team's impact will be amplified by Prenetics’
financial strength and commercialization capabilities, including
established partnerships with leading institutions, including the
University of Oxford, and Chinese University of Hong Kong.
- Positioning
Prenetics as a Leader in a US$80 billion+ Market: The need to
prevent and detect the deadliest cancers at earlier, more treatable
stages is urgent, and cancer genomic profiling can be an impactful
solution for cancer treatment. Since 2015, ACT has been a research
and commercialization partner-of-choice for leading pharmaceutical
companies and oncology institutes.
- With the acquisition
of ACT, Prenetics would have the scientific rigor necessary to
bring tests to patients at every step of their cancer journey, from
prevention, and screening to minimal residual disease, recurrence
monitoring, and therapy selection.
- ACT has had success
with strong operating metrics:
- 30,000+ clinical
tests to date
- 2,200+ collaborating
doctors, including 900+ oncologists
- 55+ pharma research
partners including AstraZeneca, Bayer, Merck
- Collaborations with
leading research institutes including the Chinese University of
Hong Kong, Kyoto University, National University of Singapore,
National Health Research Institute of Taiwan and more.
ACT’s extensive product portfolio includes:
Cancer Prevention – Blood (specimen)
ACT Risk – Screening of common
hereditary cancers (67 genes)
ACTBRCA – Germline mutations (2
genes)
Cancer Diagnostics – Tumor tissue (specimen)
ACTOnco+ - Targeted therapy (440
genes)
ACTDrug+ - Screening of actionable
genes (40 genes)
ACTLung – Screening of lung cancer
related actionable genes (13 genes)
ACTBRCA – Somatic and germline
mutations (2 genes)
ACTHRD – Screening of HRR pathway
genes (24 genes)
OncoSNAP – Screening of ALK, ROS1,
RET, EGFR, MET Exon 14 skipping, BRAF, HER2, KRAS, NRAS, PIK3CA
PD-L1 – Screening of actionable genes
(40 genes)
Cancer Recurrence – Liquid biopsy (specimen)
ACTCerebra – Screening of actionable
genes (40 genes)
ACTMonitor – Measure tumor
load/monitor appearance of resistance clones
EGFR – Screening of EGFR genes
Transaction Details
Under the terms of the transaction agreement, Prenetics has
agreed to issue 19.9 million shares of Prenetics’ class A ordinary
shares and pay $20 million in cash for a majority stake
in ACT. Prenetics expects ACT to contribute approximately US$25-30
million in revenues in 2023. A separate presentation summary on the
transaction can be found in this link:
https://prenetics.gcs-web.com/static-files/fd50a409-45b7-4827-96e0-1c207ccca5aa
About ACT Genomics
ACT Genomics is an innovation-driven cancer solution provider
with offices in Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Bangkok and
UK. With our Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology,
CAP-accredited laboratories, experienced bioinformatics team, and
proprietary AI algorithms, we provide optimal cancer treatment
planning, immunotherapy evaluation, cancer relapse & drug
resistance monitoring, as well as cancer risk assessment services
to medical professionals. Together, we “Turn Genomics into Action”.
To learn more about ACT Genomics, visit www.actgenomics.com.
About Prenetics
Founded in 2014, Prenetics is a major global diagnostic and
genetic testing company with the mission to bring health closer to
millions of people globally and decentralize healthcare by making
the three pillars — Consumer Health, Clinical Care and Medical
& Cancer Genomics — comprehensive and accessible to anyone, at
anytime and anywhere. Prenetics is led by visionary entrepreneur,
Danny Yeung, with operations across nine locations, including The
United Kingdom, Hong Kong, India, South Africa, and Southeast Asia.
Prenetics develops consumer genetic testing and early colorectal
cancer screening and provides COVID-19 testing, rapid point of care
and at-home diagnostic testing and medical genetic testing.
Prenetics is listed on NASDAQ with the ticker PRE. To learn more
about Prenetics, visit www.prenetics.com.
Investor Relations
Contact:investors@prenetics.com
ICR Westwicke: |
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Caroline Corner |
+415 202 5678 |
Email: caroline.corner@westwicke.com |
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Media contact: |
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Strategic Public Relations Group |
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Corinne Ho |
+852 2114 4911 |
Email: corinne.ho@sprg.com.hk |
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Forward-Looking StatementsIn addition to
historical information, this release contains “forward-looking
statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking
statements by terminology such as “believe,” “may,” “will,”
“estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “should,” “plan,”
“expect,” “predict,” “potential,” or the negative of these terms or
other similar expressions. These statements are based on estimates
and forecasts and reflect the views, assumptions, expectations, and
opinions of Prenetics and ACT Genomics. Any such estimates and
assumptions, expectations, forecasts, views or opinions, whether or
not identified in this press release, should be regarded as
indicative, preliminary and for illustrative purposes only and
should not be relied upon as being necessarily indicative of future
results. These statements include, but are not limited to,
statements by our management or the board regarding expectations
for the closing of the acquisition, statements of plans,
objectives, and expectations of synergy between Prenetics and ACT
by our management or the board or by ACT or ACT’s management or
board. Our expectations and beliefs regarding these matters may not
materialize, and actual results in future periods are subject to
risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those projected. Because of these uncertainties,
you should not make any investment decisions based on our estimates
or forward-looking statements. All information provided in this
press release is as of the date of this press release. Prenetics
does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking
statement, whether as a result of new information, future
developments, or otherwise, except as required under applicable
law.
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