Roche has signed an agreement to acquire a privately held start-up, Flatiron Health, a developer of software solutions using real world data in oncology, in a deal worth US$1.9 B. Flatiron offers web-based electronic health record (EHR) system, which stores and curates data from cancer patients via its partner oncology clinics and research centers across the US. Roche has been Flatiron’s customer and also held a 12.6% stake in the company. Along with EHR, Flatiron has also developed a set of software products utilising data collected from individual patients to cater for companies working in oncology drug development.