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Reuters
08-07-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Judge briefly pauses 23andMe bankruptcy sale amid California's appeal
July 8 (Reuters) - A U.S. district judge put on hold the bankruptcy sale of genetic testing company 23andMe late on Monday, giving California three days to make its case that the sale should remain blocked during an appeal related to the state's genetic privacy law. California failed to convince a bankruptcy judge to stop the sale earlier on Monday, but U.S. District Judge Matthew Schelp in St. Louis ordered a brief pause following California's appeal of that ruling. Schelp scheduled a Thursday court hearing to determine if a longer pause is warranted in the case. 23andMe, which filed for bankruptcy in March, is selling its assets to TTAM Research, a new nonprofit founded by 23andMe co-founder Anne Wojcicki, for $305 million. 23andMe, TTAM and California did not immediately respond to a request for comment. California argues the sale violates the state's Genetic Information Privacy Act, which prohibits the transfer and disclosure of genetic data or biological samples to third parties, including TTAM Research, without express permission for each transfer. California consumers represent about 1.8 million of the approximately 10 million genetic profiles in 23andMe's inventory, according to California's court filings. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Brian Walsh had overruled California's objection, and similar objections from other states opposed to the sale on June 27. He said Monday that California customers would not be harmed because they retained the right to delete their genetic data even after the sale is complete. TTAM has said it would continue to protect customers' genetic data and maintain 23andMe's privacy policies, including customers' right to delete their data. Wojcicki was 23andMe's CEO before its bankruptcy filing, and her new nonprofit's name is an acronym formed from the first letters of the words 'twenty-three and me.' 23andMe filed for bankruptcy after a drop-off in consumer demand and a 2023 data breach that exposed millions of customers' genetic data. The case is California v. 23andMe Holding Co., U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, No. 25-cv-0099 For California: Bernard Eskandari and Daniel Nadal of the Office of the Attorney General of California For 23andMe: Christopher Hopkins and Paul Basta of Paul Weiss, among others Read more California fails to stop 23andMe founder from re-acquiring company 23andMe's founder Anne Wojcicki wins bid for bankrupt DNA testing firm DNA testing firm 23andMe files for bankruptcy as demand dries up
Globe and Mail
07-07-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
23andMe founder can re-acquire company after judge rejects California's attempt to delay sale
Genetic testing company 23andMe can proceed with a US$305-million sale to the company's co-founder Anne Wojcicki after a U.S. bankruptcy judge rejected California's bid to delay the sale while the state appeals over privacy concerns related to the deal. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Brian Walsh, who previously approved Wojcicki's buyout of the company, said in a court hearing in St. Louis that California's appeal was 'likely to fail' and that California customers would not be 'irreparably harmed' if the sale went forward while the state appealed. 'They remain free to delete their accounts and data at any time,' Walsh said of 23andMe's California customers. 23andMe did not protect customers' data, Canadian and British watchdogs find 23andMe filed for bankruptcy in March, seeking to sell its business after a drop-off in consumer demand and a 2023 data breach that exposed millions of customers' genetic data. California had argued the sale violates the state's Genetic Information Privacy Act, which prohibits the transfer and disclosure of genetic data or biological samples to third parties, including Wojcicki's new non-profit TTAM Research. The state had sought to prevent California customers' data from being transferred, a step that 23andMe said would effectively kill the sale. California consumers represent about 1.8 million of the approximately 10 million genetic profiles in 23andMe's inventory, according to California's court filings. 'Everyone knows that this is a sale of DNA to a third party,' California's attorney Bernard Eskandari said in court. 'It has always been a sale of DNA to a third party.' TTAM Research won a bankruptcy auction for 23andMe's assets in June, overbidding a US$265-million offer from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. TTAM said it would continue to protect customers' genetic data and maintain 23andMe's privacy policies, including customers' right to delete their data. Wojcicki was 23andMe's CEO before its bankruptcy filing, and her new nonprofit's name is an acronym formed from the first letters of the words 'twenty-three and me.' Several other U.S. states, including New York and Texas, also opposed the sale and said that their state laws also prevent the sale of customers' genetic data without their consent. Walsh overruled those objections on June 27.
WIRED
12-06-2025
- Business
- WIRED
Congress Demands Answers on Data Privacy Ahead of 23andMe Sale
Jun 12, 2025 12:08 PM House Democrats sent letters to the potential buyers of the genetic testing company, asking how they plan to protect customer genetic data under a change of ownership. US Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jan Schakowsky on Thursday sent letters to the two potential buyers of troubled genetic testing firm 23andMe demanding details about consumer data privacy should either of them acquire the company. Signed by 20 other Democratic members of Congress, the letters were sent to Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and TTAM Research Institute, which have put forth separate bids to buy 23andMe. In the letters, they ask Regeneron and TTAM if they will continue to give customers the option to delete their data and withdraw consent for their data to be used in medical research. They also want to know if 23andMe's current policy of not sharing genetic data with law enforcement without a warrant will be upheld, and whether both entities intend to proactively notify 23andMe customers about the sale. After struggling for years to turn a profit, 23andMe filed for bankruptcy protection in March and put its assets up for sale. Shortly after, its CEO Anne Wojcicki resigned. Wojcicki had tried unsuccessfully to take the company private but her proposals were rejected by a special committee formed by 23andMe's board of directors. In May, biotech company Regeneron announced that it was named the successful bidder in a bankruptcy auction, offering $256 million to acquire 23andMe. 'We believe we can help 23andMe deliver and build upon its mission to help those interested in learning about their own DNA and how to improve their personal health, while furthering Regeneron's efforts to use large-scale genetics research to improve the way society treats and prevents illness overall,' said George Yancopoulos, cofounder and chief scientific officer of Regeneron, in a company statement last month. But after the auction closed, Wojcicki put in a bid of her own—offering $305 million through a newly formed nonprofit, TTAM Research Institute. The offer prompted a federal judge to reopen the sale process, and now both Regeneron and TTAM will have a chance to put in a final bid. Founded in 2006, 23andMe pioneered the field of personal genomics with its DNA test kits, which allow customers to learn about their ancestry, family connections, and certain medical risks after submitting a spit sample. Despite selling more than 12 million of its DNA testing kits, the company never achieved profitability and struggled to diversify its revenue streams after going public in 2021. In another blow to the company, a major data breach in 2023 exposed the personal data of millions of customers, including a leak that targeted users with Chinese and Ashkenazi Jewish heritage. The new owner of 23andMe would acquire its vast trove of genetic data, raising questions about how that data would be used. Under 23andMe's current policy, customers can choose to make their genetic data and other personal information available for medical research. They also have the option of deleting all of their data and directing 23andMe to destroy their saliva sample. The members of Congress who sent the letters on Thursday are seeking clarity from Regeneron and Wojcicki on whether they plan to continue those practices. The signees are also concerned about genetic data being shared with law enforcement and immigration authorities and the possibility of genetic and other personal data being used to train AI models. They're also asking Regeneron and TTAM to disclose a full list of all third parties who currently have access to 23andMe data and the steps both entities will take to ensure transparency of third-party access in the future. 23andMe previously had a multi-year research collaboration with pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline. The representatives are asking Regeneron and TTAM to respond by June 26. Wojcicki and 23andMe's interim CEO Joe Selsavage testified during a House Oversight Committee hearing this week on the privacy and national security concerns surrounding 23andMe's sale. During that hearing, Selsavage told lawmakers that 1.9 million people, or about 15 percent of its customer base, have asked for their genetic data to be removed from the company's servers since the company filed for bankruptcy protection in March. This week, more than two dozen states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit against 23andMe, arguing that the company cannot auction 15 million customers' highly sensitive personal genetic information without their consent or knowledge.
