Roche To Acquire Poseida For Up To $1.5 Bln

                                                                                                                                               Roche Holding AG (RHHBY), a Swiss healthcare company, Tuesday announced that it has signed a definitive merger agreement to acquire Poseida Therapeutics, Inc. (PSTX) for $9 per share in cash at closing.

The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2025.                                                                                Roche will start a tender offer to acquire Poseida's outstanding shares for $9.00 per share in cash at closing, plus a contingent value right or CVR offering milestone payments up to $4.00 per share in cash.

The deal values Poseida at approximately $1 billion at closing, with the deal potentially reaching $1.5 billion. The closing price represents a 215% premium over Poseida's November 25 share price.

Roche said the acquisition would help it to create new, advanced treatments for oncology, immunology, and neurology, making it at the forefront of off-the-shelf cell therapies.

Roche and Poseida already work together on CAR-T cell therapies for blood cancers, and this deal strengthens their partnership which started in 2022.

PSTX had closed its regular trading at 4.76% higher at $2.86 on the Nasdaq. In the extended trading, PSTX grew 11.19% further to $3.18.