Pharma BD Deal Intelligence

Illumina, Inc. / GRAIL, Inc.

2021 · Acquisition/Merger · $7.1B · Complete

Outcome grade pending — assessed 5 years post-close.

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The coverage arc

Jan 12, 2021 American Cancer Society Neutral

In 2021, the American Cancer Society projects 1,898,160 new cancer cases and 608,570 cancer deaths in the United States. Five-year relative survival is 89% for…

Aug 18, 2021 GRAIL Press Release Bullish

GRAIL announced its acquisition by Illumina has closed for $7.1 billion in cash and stock, with the businesses operating separately during EU regulatory…

Sep 03, 2024 Illumina IR — ECJ rules in favor of Illumina (jurisdiction) Bullish

ECJ ruled Sept 3, 2024 that the European Commission did not have jurisdiction; the basis for the EUR 432M fine has been removed and will no longer be payable.…

Source summaries from our enrichment pipeline; follow links for originals.

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Illumina closed its $7.1B acquisition of GRAIL on August 18, 2021 while EU regulatory review was still pending, gaining the Galleri multi-cancer early detection test. The premature closing triggered a multi-year antitrust fight: the European Commission prohibited the deal and in July 2023 fined Illumina EUR 432M for gun-jumping, and the US FTC litigated to unwind it. Illumina ultimately divested GRAIL via spin-off on June 24, 2024, distributing 85.5% of GRAIL shares to Illumina shareholders and retaining a 14.5% minority stake; GRAIL began trading on Nasdaq as 'GRAL' on June 25, 2024. The FTC then dismissed its case on August 15, 2024. On September 3, 2024 the European Court of Justice ruled the Commission never had jurisdiction over the deal, removing the basis for the EUR 432M fine ("no longer payable"), and the Commission withdrew its decisions on September 6, 2024. Net outcome: the acquisition was reversed and GRAIL is again an independent public company, but Illumina escaped the headline fine on jurisdictional grounds.

Key facts

Related deals — scored

DealYearValueOutcome
Illumina, Inc. / GRAIL, Inc. (this deal)2021$7.1B
Illumina, Inc. / Amgen Inc.202056
Illumina, Inc. / GRAIL, Inc.2020$8.0B36
AstraZeneca PLC / Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited2019$6.9B100
Novartis AG / Endocyte, Inc.2018$2.1B96
Astellas Pharma Inc. / Seagen Inc.2009$4.5B95
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company / Medarex Inc.2009$2.4B92

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