Roche and Spark Therapeutics, Inc. announce expected refiling date of Premerger Notification and Report Forms under the HSR Act and extension of tender offer for shares of Spark Therapeutics, Inc.

F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd / Roche and Spark Therapeutics, Inc. announce expected refiling date of Premerger Notification and Report Forms under the HSR Act and extension of tender offer for shares of Spark Therapeutics, Inc. . Processed and transmitted by West Corporation. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

• Parties elect to refile Premerger Notification and Report Forms on or about 23 May 2019 to provide the government with additional time to complete its current review
  
  

Basel, 14 May 2019 - Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) and Spark Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ONCE) ("Spark") today announced that Roche and Spark intend to refile on or about 23 May 2019 their respective Premerger Notification and Report Forms under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act (the "HSR Act") in connection with Roche's pending acquisition of Spark pursuant to its previously announced tender offer to purchase all of the outstanding shares of common stock (the "Shares") of Spark for USD 114.50 per Share, net to the seller thereof in cash, without interest and subject to any withholding taxes required by applicable law and upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase dated 7 March 2019 (as it may be amended and supplemented from time to time, the "Offer"). The parties had previously announced that they expected to refile on or about 9 May 2019. However, the parties have elected to instead refile on or about 23 May 2019 in order to provide the government with additional time to complete its current review. The regulatory review of the transaction is ongoing, and the parties are actively working with the government to facilitate that process.

Following the refiling by Roche, the waiting period applicable to the pending acquisition will expire at 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on or about 7 June 2019, but this period may be shortened if the government grants "early termination" of the waiting period, or it may change if Roche voluntarily withdraws and Roche refiles its Premerger Notification and Report Forms in order to restart the 15-day waiting period or if the reviewing agency issues a formal request for additional information and documentary material.