Date: Nov 11, 2013 Source: Company Data (
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Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPG) and ViroPharma Incorporated (NASDAQ: VPHM) today announce that their Boards of Directors have unanimously approved, and the companies have entered into, a merger agreement pursuant to which Shire will acquire all the outstanding shares of the rare disease company ViroPharma for $50 per share in cash, for a total consideration of approximately $4.2 billion. The $50 per share price in the transaction represents a 27% premium to ViroPharma's closing share price on Friday, November 8, 2013, the last trading day prior to announcement, and a 64% premium to ViroPharma's unaffected share price of $30.47 on September 12, 2013.
ViroPharma is a high growth, rare disease biopharmaceutical company, whose commercial product CINRYZE® (C1 esterase inhibitor [human]), is a leading brand for the prophylactic treatment of Hereditary Angioedema (HAE).
Shire transaction highlights
• Excellent strategic fit
• Expands rare disease portfolio which Shire is strategically committed to strengthen
• Adds CINRYZE, with growing sales in the prophylactic treatment of HAE, which complements Shire's FIRAZYR® (icatibant injection)
• Enhances Shire's short and long term revenue growth profile
• Expected annual cost synergies of approximately $150 million by 2015, over and above the improved operating leverage already being driven by the ongoing One Shire reorganization
• Immediately accretive to Shire's Non GAAP EPS following completion and enhances earnings growth profile
• Shire expects transaction to deliver ROIC in excess of its weighted average cost of capital
• Acquisition to be effected by a tender offer and funded from Shire's cash resources and existing and new bank facilities
• Conference call for investors today (details below)
Shire Chief Executive Officer, Flemming Ornskov MD comments:
"The acquisition of ViroPharma will immediately benefit Shire and is entirely consistent with our clear strategic objective of strengthening our rare disease portfolio. It brings us a new growth driving product which augments our already strong growth prospects.
Shire is uniquely positioned to drive the continued success of CINRYZE for the benefit of patients through our knowledge of the rare disease space, our international infrastructure and our biologics manufacturing expertise.
Shire is also excited by the prospect of being able to offer two complementary treatments, FIRAZYR for the treatment of acute HAE attacks and CINRYZE for prophylactic treatment of patients suffering from HAE. Shire's priority will be to ensure CINRYZE patients continue to enjoy high standards of service.
Shire has conducted a thorough and collaborative due diligence process over the last few months and, following completion of the transaction, the integration process will be focused on delivering value to all stakeholders. This acquisition is expected to create a $2 billion(1) rare disease revenue base and delivers further strong growth prospects."
Vincent J. Milano, ViroPharma's Chief Executive Officer stated:
"We are pleased to announce our merger with Shire, which like ViroPharma, is focused on developing products for patients suffering from rare diseases.
After thoroughly evaluating our strategic options we determined that this transaction is in the best interests of ViroPharma, our shareholders and our patients.
By joining with Shire, ViroPharma will become part of a larger, more diverse biopharmaceutical company and will benefit from Shire's innovation, scale and global reach. We will have access to resources to expand product distribution, giving us a platform to provide our crucial therapies, such as CINRYZE, to more patients than ever before. We look forward to working with Shire's team and to being part of an even stronger, more geographically diverse organization."
Further information on ViroPharma
ViroPharma is a leading rare disease company with CINRYZE, a high growth product for prophylactic treatment of HAE, as well as a number of other marketed products and a pipeline of product candidates in the rare disease space. ViroPharma generated total worldwide net revenues of $428 million in 2012. Total worldwide net revenues are forecast by ViroPharma to be in the range of $445 million to $465 million in 2013.
Further information on CINRYZE
In the United States, CINRYZE is indicated for routine prophylaxis against HAE attacks in adolescent and adult patients.
HAE is a rare genetic disease characterized by recurrent sudden attacks of swelling of the skin or the mucous membranes which can be disfiguring, painful and potentially life-threatening in the case of laryngeal attacks. Shire believes that of the approximately 8,000 patients in the U.S. with HAE, the disease is only actively managed in about 3,500 patients.
CINRYZE was approved with orphan drug designation in October 2008 and has grown rapidly since launch in 2009 to generate revenues of $321 million in the U.S. in 2012. On October 31, 2013, ViroPharma forecasted CINRYZE net revenues in North America in 2013 to be between $395 million and $405 million.
Shire believes there is a significant opportunity for future revenue growth, in both the U.S. and ex-U.S. markets, as new HAE patients are identified and treated and additional physicians gain experience with this important therapy. Current consensus estimates(1) for global CINRYZE sales forecast strong revenue growth in the coming years. CINRYZE has US orphan drug exclusivity which expires in 2015 and US biologics data exclusivity until 2020.
With CINRYZE in its portfolio, Shire will be able to offer broader outreach to HAE patients and a continuum of care alongside FIRAZYR.
Additional value from ViroPharma's other marketed products and pipeline
ViroPharma's portfolio of marketed products also includes PLENADREN® (hydrocortisone modified release) and BUCCOLAM® (midazolam oromucosal solution), both recently launched in major European countries. PLENADREN is a product for adrenal insufficiency in adults. BUCCOLAM treats prolonged seizures in infants, children and adolescents.
The acquisition also brings ViroPharma's pipeline products to Shire, including two phase 2 products being investigated for infectious diseases: Maribavir (for the treatment of cytomegalovirus infection in transplant patients) and VP20621 (for the prevention of recurrent Clostridium difficile infection). Also in the ViroPharma pipeline are VP-20629 for Friedreich's Ataxia, currently in phase 1, and an option to acquire Meritage Pharma, which is conducting phase 2 trials with oral budesonide for the treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis. ViroPharma has also sponsored or supported programs to examine potential new indications for CINRYZE in Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia, Antibody-Mediated Rejection post renal transplantation and Neuromyelitis Optica.
Shire will review these programs as part of its regular pipeline review process to ensure that Shire's R&D resources are appropriately deployed to those projects that are both strategically relevant to Shire's commercial focus and have the greatest potential for success.
Financial benefit to Shire
Shire expects the addition of CINRYZE to its Rare Disease Business Unit to create a growing $2 billion revenue business(1) in 2014 which will represent approximately 40% of Shire's total product sales on a pro forma basis. The acquisition of ViroPharma is expected to enhance Shire's revenue growth profile in both the short and long term.
Related to the acquisition, Shire estimates that it will realize approximately $150 million of annual cost synergies across the business by 2015, over and above the improved operating leverage already being driven by the ongoing One Shire reorganization.
Following completion, Shire expects that the acquisition of ViroPharma will be accretive to Shire's Non GAAP EPS immediately and in the longer term. Shire also expects that the transaction will deliver ROIC in excess of its weighted average cost of capital.
Financing
Shire has secured a $2.6 billion fully underwritten short term bank facility, which, in addition to Shire's cash and cash equivalents and its existing $1.2 billion revolving credit facility, is available to finance the transaction, pay fees and expenses related to the transaction and repay Shire's existing $1.1 billion convertible bond at its maturity in May 2014 if required. Shire plans to refinance a portion of the short term bank facility through new debt issuances and the use of ViroPharma's cash and short term investments.
Share Buy-back program
Following the announcement of this transaction, Shire intends to terminate its share buyback program. Shire's Board of Directors will continue to review Shire's capital structure on an ongoing basis.
Closing
The acquisition is structured as an all cash tender offer for all the outstanding shares of ViroPharma common stock at a price of $50 per share followed by a merger in which each remaining untendered share of ViroPharma common stock would be converted into the same $50 cash per share consideration as in the tender offer.
Closing of the transaction is subject to customary conditions, including the tender of a majority of the outstanding ViroPharma shares and the receipt of regulatory clearances. Pending anti-trust authority clearances, it is anticipated that the transaction will close in the last quarter of 2013, the first quarter of 2014 or as soon as possible thereafter. The tender offer is not subject to a financing contingency.
Lazard and Morgan Stanley are acting as joint financial advisors to Shire. Goldman, Sachs & Co. is acting as financial advisor to ViroPharma. Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP is acting as legal advisor to Shire and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is acting as legal advisor to ViroPharma
For further information please contact:
Investor Relations
For Shire:
Eric Rojas erojas@shire.com +1 781 482 0999
Sarah Elton-Farr seltonfarr@shire.com +44 1256 894157
For ViroPharma:
Robert A. Doody Robert.doody@viropharma.com +1 610 321 6290
