Roche commences tender offer for all shares of Spark Therapeutics, Inc. for US$ 114.50 per share in cash

F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd / Roche commences tender offer for all shares of Spark Therapeutics, Inc. for US$ 114.50 per share in cash . Processed and transmitted by West Corporation. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Basel, 7 March 2019 - Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) today announced that it has commenced a cash tender offer for all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Spark Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ONCE) at a price of US$ 114.50 per share. The tender offer is being made pursuant to the previously announced merger agreement dated as of 22 February 2019 among Spark Therapeutics, Inc., Roche Holdings, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Roche Holding Ltd, and 022019 Merger Subsidiary, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Roche Holdings, Inc. The tender offer period will expire at 12am midnight, Eastern Time, at the end of the day on 3 April 2019, unless the offer is extended.

Roche has filed a tender offer statement on Schedule TO with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 022019 Merger Subsidiary, Inc. is the acquirer in the tender offer. The Offer to Purchase contained within the Schedule TO sets out the terms and conditions of the tender offer.

Spark Therapeutics has filed a Solicitation/Recommendation Statement with the SEC on Schedule 14D-9, which includes the unanimous recommendation of the Spark Therapeutics board of directors that Spark Therapeutics stockholders tender their shares in the tender offer. Closing of the tender offer is conditioned upon customary closing conditions, including the expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, and there being validly tendered and received, and not validly withdrawn, a majority of the outstanding shares of Spark Therapeutics common stock. The tender offer is not subject to any financing condition. Following successful completion of the tender offer, any shares not acquired in the tender offer will be acquired in a second step merger at the same price of US$ 114.50 per share. The closing of the transaction is expected to take place in the second quarter of 2019.