Illumina loses its grip: the sequencing giant’s acquisition of Grail is heading for the rocks

Illumina is appealing the European Commission’s determination that its merger with Grail must be dissolved, but that appeal is looking less and less likely to succeed.

Yesterday the Commission gave Illumina concrete instructions on how to split off its subsidiary, and despite its ongoing appeal Illumina is believed to be quietly exploring various exit options for the liquid biopsy-focused group. But this will be costly, and Illumina has already taken a $3.9bn write-down on the $8bn deal.