Note 4 - Business Combination

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2020

Notes to Financial Statements

Business Combination Disclosure [Text Block]

4. Business Combination

On December 3, 2019, the Company executed an agreement with NanoString for the exclusive global diagnostics license to the nCounter Analysis System, and the acquisition of the Prosigna breast cancer prognostic gene signature assay, and the LymphMark lymphoma subtyping assay. The strategic transaction positions the Company to expand its genomic diagnostics business globally, with the ability to deliver its advanced genomic tests to physicians and their patients via hospital and clinical laboratories throughout the European Union and other parts of the world. The Company has accounted for this agreement under ASC 805, Business Combinations. Pursuant to the terms of the agreement, Veracyte paid NanoString $40.0 million in cash and $10.0 million in Veracyte common stock, and may pay up to an additional $10.0 million in cash, contingent upon the commercial launch of Veracyte diagnostic tests for use on the platform. This contingency was valued at $6.1 million as of the acquisition date and as of December 31, 2019, recorded as a liability, and will be remeasured to fair value at each reporting date until the contingent consideration is settled. As of September 30, 2020, this contingency was remeasured to $6.4 million with the corresponding change included in general and administrative expense in the Company's condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.

Assets acquired are recorded based on valuations derived from estimated fair value assessments and assumptions used by the Company. While the Company believes that its estimates and assumptions underlying the valuations are reasonable, different estimates and assumptions could result in different valuations assigned to the individual assets acquired and the resulting amount of goodwill. The following table summarizes the fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the date of acquisition (in thousands):

Prosigna product technology	$	4,120
Prosigna customer relationships		2,430
nCounter Dx license		46,880
LymphMark product technology		990
Total identifiable intangible assets acquired		54,420
Goodwill		1,668
Net assets acquired	$	56,088

Identifiable acquisition-related intangibles included in the above table are finite-lived and are being amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated lives, which approximates the pattern in which the economic benefits of the intangible assets are expected to be realized, as follows:

	Estimated Useful life (In Years)
Prosigna product technology		15
Prosigna customer relationships		5
nCounter Dx license		15
LymphMark product technology		7

Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the net tangible and intangible assets acquired. This acquisition includes $1.7 million of goodwill which the Company believes consists principally of the organized workforce that will help the Company execute its strategic plans in relation to the assets acquired. In accordance with ASC 350, goodwill will not be amortized but will be tested for impairment at least annually. As of September 30, 2020, goodwill is not deductible for tax purposes, however, if contingent consideration is paid at a future date, the portions of contingent consideration paid and allocated to the intangible assets for tax purposes will be tax deductible. The accounting for this acquisition is preliminary and will be finalized upon completion of the analysis of certain contracts acquired and executed as part of this acquisition along with the impact on goodwill, should there be any.