A Medical Device Daily
PerkinElmer (Boston) reported completing the acquisition of J.N. Macri Technologies (Huntington Station, New York), which holds and licenses patents for free beta Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (free Beta hCG), a peptide hormone produced in the early stage of pregnancy and recognized as a biomarker for first-trimester prenatal risk assessment.
Additionally, PerkinElmer acquired NTD Laboratories (Huntington Station), a reference laboratory specializing in prenatal risk assessment.
The purchase price for both transactions was about $56.65 million.
NTD offers laboratory-developed and validated testing under the brand name UltraScreen, of which free Beta hCG is a component. The UltraScreen biomarker data, combined with an ultrasound measurement of fluid accumulation behind the neck of the fetus (the “combined test”) and maternal demographic data, provide clinicians with patient-specific risk probability for fetal abnormalities, according to NTD Labs.
NTD Labs generated $15 million of revenue in its last fiscal year ending June 30.
Gregory Summe, CEO and chairman of PerkinElmer, said the acquisitions provide “a leading position in free Beta hCG measurement in the U.S. and will be an integral part of expanding our maternal health portfolio globally.”
Perkin Elmer said the agreement builds upon recent announcements related to its screening and diagnostics strategies, including a global licensing agreement to develop assay kits for the ADAM12 biochemical marker, with potential in maternal health screening for fetal chromosomal abnormalities; and the securing of global rights for Placental Protein 13, a biomarker for identifying patients at risk for pre-eclampsia in the first trimester.
Perkin Elmer said the efficacy of the NTD-provided service has been validated by two trials by the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, Maryland), EATABUN and FASTER. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine in November 2005, the FASTER study found the combined test, administered in the first trimester of gestation, to be safer and more accurate than second trimester prenatal risk assessment.
Robert Friel, president, PerkinElmer Life and Analytical Sciences, said the agreement will accelerate the company's own maternal health R&D initiatives, “by giving us the ability to better understand first-hand the needs of the clinical community. Our future plans include the introduction of the free Beta hCG biomarker, which is used throughout Europe, on PerkinElmer's proprietary platforms, further extending our maternal health solutions.”
In other dealmaking activity, Emdeon (Elmwood Park, New Jersey) said it expects that its previously reported process to evaluate strategic alternatives for its Business Services and Practice Services segments will not be completed until the middle of August.
Emdeon had said it would report results of the evaluation by the end of July but that “various factors” are contributing to the delay, including “stronger-than-anticipated results” for the two divisions and the consideration of “another alternative.”
Emdeon is a provider of business, technology and information solutions targeting the financial and clinical aspects of healthcare delivery.
Emdeon Business Services provides revenue cycle management and clinical communication solutions that enable payers, providers and patients to improve healthcare business processes. Emdeon Practice Services provides physician practice management and electronic health record software and services that increase practice efficiency and enhance patient care.