On January 8, 2020 Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC) ("Centene") reported the extension of the expiration date of the offers to exchange (the "Exchange Offers") notes (the "WellCare Notes") issued by WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE:WCG) ("WellCare") for up to $1,950,000,000 aggregate principal amount of new notes to be issued by Centene (the "Centene Notes") and cash and the related consent solicitations (the "Consent Solicitations") being made by Centene on behalf of WellCare to adopt certain proposed amendments (the "Amendments") to the indentures governing the WellCare Notes (Press release, Centene , JAN 8, 2020, View Source [SID1234552871]). Centene hereby extends such expiration date from 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on January 8, 2020, to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on January 14, 2020 (as the same may be further extended, the "Expiration Date").

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On November 14, 2019, requisite consents were received and supplemental indentures were executed, eliminating substantially all restrictive covenants and certain events of default and other provisions in each of the indentures governing the WellCare Notes. Such supplemental indentures will only become operative upon the settlement date of the Exchange Offers.

The Exchange Offers and Consent Solicitations are being made pursuant to the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the confidential offering memorandum and consent solicitation statement dated November 1, 2019, as amended on November 12, 2019 and the related letter of transmittal and consent hereby, each as amended by the press releases dated December 2, 2019 and December 18, 2019 and as amended hereby, and are conditioned upon the closing of Centene’s acquisition of WellCare (the "Merger"), which condition may not be waived by Centene, and certain other conditions that may be waived by Centene.

The settlement date for the Exchange Offers is expected to occur promptly after the Expiration Date and immediately prior to the closing of the Merger, which is expected to occur by the first half of 2020. As a result, the Expiration Date may be further extended one or more times. Centene will provide notice of any such extension in advance of the Expiration Date.

Except as described in this press release, all other terms of the Exchange Offers and Consent Solicitations remain unchanged.

As of 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on January 8, 2020, the principal amounts of WellCare Notes set forth in the table below had been validly tendered and not validly withdrawn:

Documents relating to the Exchange Offers and Consent Solicitations will only be distributed to eligible holders of WellCare Notes who complete and return an eligibility form confirming that they are either a "qualified institutional buyer" under Rule 144A or not a "U.S. person" and outside the United States under Regulation S for purposes of applicable securities laws. Except as amended by the press releases dated December 2, 2019 and December 18, 2019 and as amended hereby, the complete terms and conditions of the Exchange Offers and Consent Solicitations are described in the confidential offering memorandum and consent solicitation statement dated November 1, 2019 as amended on November 12, 2019 and the related letter of transmittal and consent, copies of which may be obtained by contacting Global Bondholder Services Corporation, the exchange agent and information agent in connection with the Exchange Offers and Consent Solicitations, at (866) 470-4200 (U.S. toll-free) or (212) 430-3774 (banks and brokers). The eligibility form is available electronically at: View Source

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or purchase, or a solicitation of an offer to sell or purchase, or the solicitation of tenders or consents with respect to, any security. No offer, solicitation, purchase or sale will be made in any jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The Exchange Offers and Consent Solicitations are being made solely pursuant to the offering memorandum and consent solicitation statement dated November 1, 2019, as amended on November 12, 2019 and as amended by the press releases dated December 2, 2019 and December 18, 2019 and as amended hereby and the related letter of transmittal and consent, and only to such persons and in such jurisdictions as are permitted under applicable law.

The Centene Notes offered in the Exchange Offers have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any state securities laws. Therefore, the Centene Notes may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and any applicable state securities laws.

On January 8, 2020 Veracyte (Nasdaq: VCYT) reported a multi-year partnership with Acerta Pharma, the hematology research and development arm of AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/NYSE: AZN), to provide genomic information that will support the biopharmaceutical company’s development of oncology therapeutics (Press release, Veracyte, JAN 8, 2020, View Source [SID1234552870]). Financial and other terms of the collaboration were not disclosed.

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"We are excited to partner with Acerta Pharma and AstraZeneca, global leaders whose innovative medicines are benefitting millions of patients worldwide"

The agreement marks Veracyte’s first biopharmaceutical partnership since the company announced its acquisition of the exclusive diagnostics rights to the NanoString nCounter platform and genomic tests in breast cancer and lymphoma on December 3, 2019. That transaction positions Veracyte to expand globally using a distributed platform and comprehensive menu of advanced genomic tests.

"We are excited to partner with Acerta Pharma and AstraZeneca, global leaders whose innovative medicines are benefitting millions of patients worldwide," said Bonnie H. Anderson, Veracyte’s chairman and chief executive officer. "This collaboration reflects the significant value we can bring to biopharmaceutical companies through our expanding global footprint, as well as our ability to potentially inform diagnosis and treatment decisions in new oncology indications."

On January 8, 2020 Tarveda Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of potent and selective precision oncology medicines, which it refers to as Pentarin miniature drug conjugates, reported that Drew Fromkin, President and Chief Executive Officer, will present at the 2020 Biotech Showcase, occurring January 13-15, 2020 at the Hilton Union Square in San Francisco, CA (Press release, Tarveda Therapeutics, JAN 8, 2020, View Source [SID1234552869]).

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The presentation will take place at 9:45am Pacific Time on Tuesday, January 14 in Franciscan B (Ballroom Level).

On January 8, 2020 Personal Genome Diagnostics Inc. (PGDx), a leader in cancer genomics, reported a strategic collaboration with Mayo Clinic to enhance the development of clinical diagnostic solutions for oncology (Press release, Personal Genome Diagnostics, JAN 8, 2020, View Source [SID1234552868]). Together, PGDx and Mayo Clinic will focus on technology optimization and clinical utility studies for liquid biopsy and tissue-based genomic applications.

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The two organizations have a shared vision for advancing the capabilities of oncology diagnostics and treatment. This collaboration will combine world-class clinical knowledge and expertise in oncology from Mayo Clinic with leadership in genomic technologies from PGDx to accelerate solutions that deliver on the promise of precision medicine.

"We are proud to enter into this strategic collaboration with Mayo Clinic. Their deep knowledge of establishing standards of care in oncology, the complexity and volume of cancer cases they see, and their expertise in the implementation of testing in a real-world setting are second to none," says Doug Ward, CEO, PGDx. "As we continue our quest to empower the fight against cancer, collaborating with Mayo Clinic will allow us to better assess the impact that our elio liquid biopsy and tissue applications will have on improving clinical insights, and will advance innovations in next-generation sequencing technology."

The shared vision and overall goal for PGDx and Mayo Clinic is to improve patient care by advancing the capabilities of oncology diagnostics testing. With a focus on targetable genomic alterations, this collaboration will take advantage of the clinical and technology expertise of both organizations.

On January 8, 2020 KIYATEC, Inc. reported that it has secured an investment from life sciences venture investment company Esperante (Press release, KIYATEC, JAN 8, 2020, View Source [SID1234552867]). Investment funds will be used primarily to support KIYATEC’s pivotal 3D-PREDICT study (NCT03561207), designed to validate clinical assays that predict pre-treatment response to cancer drug therapies for ovarian cancer and glioblastoma. Both cancer types are characterized by poor progression-free and overall survival, despite aggressive administration of approved and experimental drug therapies.

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While significant advances in the field of personalized medicine have been made over the last 20 years, the industry has made very little headway in its ability to help clinicians optimize cancer drug selection and patient outcomes through the accurate stratification of patients according to predicted response and/or non-response to specific, approved drug therapies. KIYATEC’s ex vivo 3D cell culture platform is optimized to use a patient’s primary tumor tissue to create microtumors, or tumor spheroids, that can be treated with drug therapies outside the body, to potentially inform and guide pre-treatment therapeutic decision-making. The company’s 3D-PREDICT clinical study is currently enrolling patients and Esperante’s investment will help support those efforts.

"In vitro clinical diagnostics is a field of particular investment focus for us due to its potential to positively impact clinical decision making, therapeutic selection and patient outcomes," said Dean Slagel, Managing Director at Esperante. "Investing in KIYATEC dovetails very well with our investment strategy. We believe their clinical assays, once validated, have the potential to transform the manner in which these two cancer types are treated."

The catalyst for Esperante’s investment in KIYATEC was the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Investor Initiatives program, which brings together emerging biotechnology companies with targeted investors and strategic partners to advance their research and commercialization efforts. KIYATEC and the NCI have enjoyed a longstanding, productive research collaboration that has centered on multiple clinical applications of KIYATEC’s proprietary ex vivo 3D cell culture technology platform. KIYATEC’s participation in the NCI Investor Initiatives program was a natural extension of this mutually beneficial relationship.

"As a growing biotech company with a promising technology platform, KIYATEC has been a beneficiary of the NCI’s guidance in both supporting our efforts to advance our technology across multiple solid tumor types and cancer drug classes while at the same time enabling relationships with potential investors and strategic partners. We gratefully welcome Esperante to a growing body of KIYATEC investors as we advance our mission to provide response-predictive testing services to the scientists and clinicians at the forefront of cancer drug development and patient care," said Matthew Gevaert, CEO and co-founder of KIYATEC.