Roche is set to pay out $750 million upfront to acquire digital pathology specialist Path AI in a move by the pharma giant to accelerate the use of artificial intelligence in diagnostic algorithms.
The deal, which is expected to close in the second half of this year, will see Roche make an upfront payment of $750 million for PathAI, plus additional payments of up to $300 million linked to milestone achievements.
Once the deal is locked in, PathAI will be merged into Roche’s Diagnostics division, the companies said in a May 7 release.
The transaction will give Roche access to PathAI's Image Management System, or IMS, a user-friendly software interface that weds analysis and workflow capabilities within the digital pathology lab. Roche says it now intends to scale the platform "globally."
The Swiss pharma also figures that PathAI's established AI-driven solutions, including clinical trial support and translational research, will work well in tandem with Roche's existing companion diagnostics know-how.
"Combining these capabilities will foster the discovery of new biomarkers, potential drug targets and novel diagnostic tools, increasing the value Roche can bring to biopharma companies," the companies said.
The two firms first partnered in 2021 and began to ramp up their relationship in 2024 to include the development of AI-enabled companion diagnostic algorithms, they explained.
“Digital pathology has the potential to improve precision diagnosis of cancer and enable physicians to offer better tailored treatment regimens,” Matt Sause, CEO of Roche Diagnostics, said in a statement.
The acquisition "will allow us to combine their best-in-class digital pathology tools with our leading oncology diagnosis platforms to deliver better insights for physicians and potentially better outcomes for patients worldwide," he added.
In early December, PathAI scored an FDA first when the agency qualified its artificial intelligence tool that aids drug developers in evaluating fatty liver disease in their clinical trials.
The green light covered Path AI’s Histologic Measurement of NASH (AIM-NASH), a cloud-based technology from PathAI designed to assess disease activity for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). It was designed to help score the different stages of liver biopsy, including fat infiltration, inflammation and scarring.
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