A Medical Device Daily
Roche (Basel, Switzerland) reported that it has signed a definite agreement to acquire privately held innovatis (Bielefeld, Germany), a provider of automated cell analysis solutions, especially focusing on cell counting, viability testing, and cell function analysis in research, as well as bioproduction.
The purchase price is €15 million ($19.5 million).
"This acquisition is a further step in our strategy to strengthen our position as a complete solution provider in the cell analysis research market," said Dr. Jürgen Schwiezer, CEO of Roche Diagnostics "Innovatis' technology will complement the existing Roche cell analysis portfolio and is synergistic to the xCELLigence technology launched in 2008."
"Roche has been one of our key customers for many years, in particular since the successful development of our cell analysis technology over 10 years ago," said Michael Grohmann, CEO of Innovatis. "The innovatis technology is very well-placed for future growth as part of Roche Applied Science."
Innovatis will become a fully-integrated part of Roche Applied Science, a global business area of the Diagnostic division of Roche. The company will continue to develop and market products for cell analysis through Roche Applied Science's extensive worldwide network.
The transaction is expected to be completed within the next few weeks, subject to shareholder approval and regulatory clearance.
Shareholders of Tepnel Life Sciences (Manchester, UK/Stamford, Connecticut) have approved the $132.2 million acquisition of the company by Gen-Probe (San Diego) by the requisite majorities.
More than 99% of Tepnel shareholders voted in favor of the acquisition, which was first reported on Jan. 30 and is structured as a "scheme of arrangement" under British law. The transaction is expected to close on or around April 8, pending additional court proceedings.
Tepnel is an international life sciences products and services group with two divisions, molecular diagnostics and research products and services. The company has laboratories, manufacturing and operations in the U.S., UK, France and Belgium, with more than 200 employees worldwide.
Gen-Probe develops nucleic acid tests used to diagnose human diseases and screen donated human blood.
In other dealmaking news:
• Home health nursing company Amedisys (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) reported that it has signed an agreement to purchase a home health and hospice agency from Upper Chesapeake Health System and St. Joseph Medical Center (Baltimore).
This acquisition represents Amedisys' initial entry into the hospice market in Maryland and increases its home health presence throughout Northeast Maryland. Maryland is a Certificate of Need state for both home health and hospice.
The agencies had revenue for their year ended Dec. 31 of about $11 million, but are not expected to add materially to Amedisys' earnings in 2009.
Amedisys also reported that it has closed on a previously reported acquisition from the White River Health System (Batesville, Arkansas), consisting of three home health agencies and one hospice agency (Medical Device Daily, Jan. 28, 2009).
• Acacia Research Corp. (ARC; Newport Beach, California) said its Hospital Systems Corp. subsidiary has entered into a license agreement with McKesson Information Solutions (San Francisco) covering a portfolio of patents that apply to medical picture archiving and communication system (PACS) technology.
This agreement resolves the parties' dispute that was pending in the District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, the companies noted.