Roche, Spark push back takeover deadline in $4.3 billion deal

Swiss drugmaker Roche <ROG.S> has agreed to extend the takeover deadline in its $4.3 billion bid for U.S. gene therapy specialist Spark Therapeutics <ONCE.O>, adding it remains "fully committed" to the transaction and expects it to close this year.

The new deadline for both companies to extend the merger agreement now runs to April 30, 2020, rather than Jan. 31, 2020, Roche said in a U.S. regulatory filing on Monday, saying the change provides "additional time to clear the transaction".