Illumina's Board Unanimously Rejects Roche's Unsolicited Tender Offer

The company announced that its Board of Directors thoroughly reviewed Roche's unsolicited tender offer with the assistance of its financial and legal advisors and unanimously determined that the $44.50 per share cash offer is grossly inadequate in multiple respects, dramatically undervalues Illumina and is contrary to the best interests of Illumina's stockholders. Accordingly, the Board recommends that stockholders not tender any of their shares to Roche. The Company filed today a Schedule 14D-9 with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") detailing the reasons for its rejection. The letter sent today by Illumina to the Chairman of Roche also appears below.

"It is the Board's unanimous belief that Roche's offer dramatically undervalues Illumina and fails to reflect the value of the Company's unique leadership position and future growth prospects," said Jay Flatley, President & Chief Executive Officer. "Illumina has established itself as the innovation and market leader in tools for genetic analysis, with a proven track record of profitability and outperformance, resulting in significant value creation. Our industry is nascent, with the promise and potential to experience extraordinary growth in the years ahead as genetic information becomes broadly applied beyond molecular biology research, and into medical diagnostics, reproductive health and cancer management. As the growth of this industry accelerates, Illumina is singularly positioned to expand its market leadership, and to deliver value to our stockholders that is far superior to Roche's offer."