Struggling DNA testing firm 23andMe to be bought for $256m

The DNA testing agency 23andMe says it has entered into an settlement to be acquired by Regeneron Prescribed drugs for $256m (£192m).

It comes two months after the corporate filed for chapter safety within the US.

23andMe mentioned Regeneron had dedicated to adjust to its privateness insurance policies as a part of the deal, and that Regeneron has safety controls in place to guard person knowledge.

Final month, the agency agreed to have an ombudsman oversee the safety of person knowledge in response to calls for by a number of state attorneys basic within the US.

The officers expressed concern over the potential for unscrupulous consumers to wield the information towards shoppers.

Regeneron will purchase practically all of 23andMe’s property, the company said in a statement.

Its subsidiary Lemonaid Well being might be wound down underneath the settlement.

23andMe will proceed to function as a wholly-owned unit unit of Regeneron, which mentioned it could use the agency’s knowledge for drug improvement.

“We’re happy to have reached a transaction that maximizes the worth of the enterprise and permits the mission of 23andMe to dwell on, whereas sustaining important protections round buyer privateness, selection and consent with respect to their genetic knowledge,” mentioned 23andMe’s board chairman Mark Jensen.

The corporate declined to remark additional when approached by the BBC.

23andMe was co-founded in 2006 by Anne Wojcicki who served as CEO till stepping down in March.

Through the years, the corporate acquired high-profile endorsements from celebrities together with Oprah Winfrey, Eva Longoria and Snoop Dogg.

23andMe went public in 2021, which noticed its worth prime $6bn – but it surely by no means turned a revenue.

The once-celebrated firm has struggled amid weak demand for its testing kits and by no means managed to redefine its enterprise mannequin.

A subscription service failed to realize traction with clients and efforts to make use of its large trove of information to maneuver into drug improvement additionally faltered.

Then in 2023 the corporate skilled a knowledge breach that uncovered the genetic knowledge of tens of millions of customers.

The agency in the end settled a lawsuit alleging it failed to guard the privateness of practically seven million clients whose private data was uncovered.

Hackers gained entry to household timber, start years and geographic places, by utilizing clients’ previous passwords, however the firm maintains the information stolen didn’t embrace DNA information.

Two months after the settlement, it slashed 200 jobs – about 40% of its workforce.

Ms Wojcicki tried to take the corporate non-public however was not open to a third-party takeover.

When 23andMe filed for chapter safety in March, attorneys basic from a number of US states suggested its clients to purge their data from the agency’s database.

On the time, the corporate mentioned it could proceed to guard buyer knowledge as specified by its privateness coverage, and any purchaser of the corporate must abide by legal guidelines that apply to how buyer knowledge is handled.

However its privateness coverage additionally included language which allowed for private data to be accessed, bought, or transferred if it was “concerned in a chapter, merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of property”.

23andMe agreed to a court-appointed overseer of buyer genetic knowledge after a number of states alleged the corporate was failing to take knowledge safety critically sufficient.