SD Biosensor said it delayed the acquisition date of Meridian Bioscience, a U.S. diagnostics company.

According to a public filing on Monday, SD Biosensor said it will revise the expected date of acquiring stocks and investment securities of Meridian Bioscience from Jan. 7 to Jan. 31, 2023.

"This is a correction due to some changes made during the conclusion of the 'Letter Agreement' (acquisition agreement), including the transaction closing date, on Dec. 8," the company said.

The delay in the acquisition dates comes after the company announced that it would acquire Meridian Bioscience for about 2 trillion won ($1.53 billion) to bolster its overseas operations in July.

For the acquisition, the company formed a consortium with SJL Partners LLC, a Korean private equity fund, which has agreed to acquire all of Meridian Bioscience's equities for $34 per share under the agreement, 16 percent higher than its average stock price in June.

The merger will happen through a reverse triangular merger method in which SD Biosensor and SJL Partners jointly invest in Columbus Holding Company.

Afterward, Meridian will merge with Madeira Acquisition, a special purpose company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Columbus Holding, and convert all existing stocks owned by Columbus into Meridian stocks.

As a result, Meridian will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Columbus Holdings.

Under the accord, SD Biosensor and SJL will own 60 percent and 40 percent stakes in Columbus Holdings, respectively.

"In the future, if the transaction's closing date is confirmed or there is a change, we will re-disclose the related information through a public notice," the company said.

However, the company did not give a clear explanation as to why it changed the transaction closing date.

"Nothing has changed except the date," a company official told Korea Biomedical Review. "Securing acquisition funds is also progressing smoothly."