The Swiss big pharma company Roche has acquired the 100% shares of Flatiron Health, a New York (US) based private healthcare technology and services company focused in the development of oncology-specific electronic health record (EHR) software, as well as the curation and development of real-world evidence for cancer research. The transaction has a total value of $ 1,9 billion and it is expected to close in the first half of 2018. According to Roche, Flatiron Health will continue its operations as a separate legal entity.
“This is an important step in our personalised healthcare strategy for Roche, as we believe that regulatory-grade real-world evidence is a key ingredient to accelerate the development of, and access to, new cancer treatments”, said Daniel O’Day, CEO Roche Pharmaceuticals.
Flatiron Health’s technological platform is designed to learn from the experience of every patient and is based on the set up of a large network of community oncology practices and academic medical centers across the US. According to O’Day, the acquired company is best positioned to provide the technology and data analytics infrastructure needed not only for Roche, but for oncology research and development efforts across the entire industry. Flatiron has a broad experience of collaboration with industry leaders and regulators to develop new approaches for how real-world evidence may be used in regulatory decision making, including the design and validation of novel endpoints. Currently, Flatiron partners with over 265 community cancer clinics, six major academic research centers and 14 out of the top 15 therapeutic oncology companies.