Illumina announced that it has acquired GRAIL, which focuses on early detection of multiple cancers, but will hold GRAIL as a separate company during the European Commission's ongoing regulatory review.
Illumina first announced its intention to acquire GRAIL nearly a year ago, reuniting Illumina with GRAIL four years after it was spun off.
GRAIL's Galleri blood test detects 50 different cancers before they are symptomatic.
Illumina said regulators in the EU are reviewing the transaction, but a decision is projected after the deal expires. The General Court of the European Union will hear Illumina's jurisdictional challenge later this year. By holding GRAIL separate while proceedings are ongoing, Illumina said it is positioned to abide by whatever final decision is reached in these legal processes.
In the U.S., Illumina said the Federal Trade Commission’s administrative process to review the transaction is ongoing, but the company said it believes “there is no legal impediment to acquiring GRAIL in the U.S.”
