BY Richard Summerfield
In a deal which will boost its life sciences portfolio, Thermo Fisher Scientific has agreed to acquire Sweden-based proteomics company Olink for approximately $3.1bn.
Under the terms of the deal, Thermo Fisher will acquire Olink for $26 per common share in cash to represent $26 per American depositary share (ADS) in cash. The price represents around a 74 percent premium to Olink’s ADSs on the Nasdaq on 16 October, the trading day before the deal was announced. Thermo Fisher will offer to acquire all outstanding Olink common shares and ADSs. The deal also includes net cash of about $143m.
Thermo Fisher plans to fund the transaction using its cash on hand and debt financing and expects the deal to be closed by mid-2024, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. Both companies’ boards have approved the deal. Additionally, Summa Equity AB, Olink’s largest shareholder, as well as other Olink shareholders and management, who together hold more than 63 percent of the company’s common shares, have also signed agreements supporting the offer.
Upon completion of the deal, Olink will be integrated into Thermo Fisher’s Life Sciences Solutions division. Thermo Fisher has said that Olink’s portfolio is home to 5300 validated protein biomarker targets and has seen its work published in 1400 scientific publications. As part of the deal, Thermo Fisher is also set to acquire the Swedish firm’s facilities in the Americas, Europe and Asia.
“The acquisition of Olink underscores the profound impact that proteomics is having as our customers continue to advance life science research and precision medicine,” said Marc N. Casper, chairman, president and chief executive of Thermo Fisher. “Olink’s proven and transformative innovation is highly complementary to our leading mass spectrometry and life sciences platforms. Our company is uniquely positioned to bring this technology to customers enabling them to meaningfully accelerate discovery and scientific breakthroughs. We look forward to welcoming Olink’s colleagues to Thermo Fisher.”
“Olink is dedicated to improving the understanding of human biology by accelerating the use of next-generation proteomics and providing industry-leading data quality at unprecedented scale,” said Jon Heimer, chief executive of Olink. “Thermo Fisher’s deep life sciences expertise, global reach and proven operational excellence will enable significant opportunities for both customers and colleagues, while also providing immediate value to our shareholders.”
Olink finished the first six months of this year with a net loss that grew 31 percent year over year to $22.23m, up from a net loss of $16.99m in H1 2022. The 2023 loss includes a second quarter net loss of $8.27m, up about 72 percent from a $4.82m net loss in Q2 2022. The company’s total revenue grew 13 percent in the first half of 2023, to $56.89m from $50.19m, with Q2 revenue rising 7 percent year over year, to $29.44m from $27.51m.
News: Thermo Fisher Scientific to buy Olink in $3.1 billion deal