SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 3, 2014--
Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN) and Sequenom, Inc. (NASDAQ: SQNM) today
announced they have agreed to settle all pending infringement claims and
other disputes between Sequenom and Verinata Health, Inc. The parties
will pool their owned and in-licensed intellectual property directed to
noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT), including patents that will remain
the subject of ongoing interference proceedings.
Under the agreement, Illumina will have exclusive worldwide rights to
utilize the pooled intellectual property to develop and sell in-vitro
diagnostic kits for NIPT and to license third-party laboratories wishing
to develop and sell their own laboratory-developed NIPT tests under the
collection of pooled patents. In addition, Sequenom and Illumina will
each have rights to utilize all pooled patents to develop and sell their
own respective laboratory-developed NIPT tests. The parties will share
the revenue from the patent pool and Illumina will pay Sequenom a
royalty on sales of in-vitro diagnostic kits for NIPT.
Illumina will make a $50 million upfront payment to Sequenom as part of
the overall agreement, as well as certain ongoing commitments for
payments to Sequenom from the patent pool structure through 2020.
“The patent pool established through this agreement eliminates confusion
over intellectual property rights and provides a single point of contact
for those wishing to license this intellectual property for NIPT
testing,” said Jay Flatley, Chief Executive Officer for Illumina.
“This settlement will allow for easier access to both parties’ NIPT
technology by healthcare providers and their patients,” said Bill Welch,
Chief Executive Officer of Sequenom. “We believe that pooling our
intellectual property will enable us to continue to expand our NIPT
laboratory test offerings while allowing Sequenom to participate more
broadly in the growing global NIPT marketplace.”
Separately, Illumina and Sequenom entered into an amended supply
agreement whereby Illumina agreed to supply Sequenom with instruments
and reagents for an additional five years.
“Sequenom and Illumina will now be able to utilize all of their
pioneering intellectual property in the NIPT testing field in order to
enable and deliver the highest quality NIPT tests to benefit physicians
and their patients,” said Tristan Orpin, Senior Vice President and
General Manager of Reproductive and Genetic Health for Illumina.
About Illumina
Illumina is transforming human health as the global leader in sequencing
and array-based technologies. The company serves customers in a broad
range of markets, enabling the adoption of genomic solutions in research
and clinical settings. To learn how Illumina is unlocking the power of
the genome, visit www.illumina.com
and follow @illumina.
About Sequenom
Sequenom, Inc. (NASDAQ: SQNM) is a life sciences company committed to
improving health care through revolutionary genomic and genetic analysis
solutions. Sequenom develops innovative technologies, products, and
diagnostic tests that target and serve molecular diagnostic markets. Web
site: www.sequenom.com
and follow @SQNM.
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Source: Illumina, Inc.
Illumina, Inc.
Investors:
Rebecca Chambers,
858-255-5243
rchambers@illumina.com
or
Media:
Jennifer
Temple, 858-882-6822
pr@illumina.com
or
Sequenom
Contacts:
Sequenom, Inc.
Carolyn Beaver, 858-202-9028
Chief
Financial Officer
investorrelations@sequenom.com
or
Chandler
Chicco Agency
Rachel Kennedy, 858-449-9575
Media Contact
rkennedy@chandlerchiccocompanies.com