Roche Acquires Verum Diagnostica, Leader in Platelet Function Testing

Roche (Basel, Switzerland) will acquire 100% of Verum Diagnostica GmbH, based in Munich (Germany). Verum Diagnostica is a leading company in platelet function testing, the fastest-growing field in the coagulation diagnostics market. The company will become part of Roche's Professional Diagnostics business area.

Under the terms of the acquisition agreement, Roche will pay Verum Diagnostica shareholders a total cash consideration of EUR 11 million and potentially a further EUR 2 million contingent upon reaching certain performance-related milestones. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in January 2012.

The acquisition supports Roche's plans to expand its coagulation testing product line in North America beyond physician offices and outpatient clinics with the development of a full line of coagulation analyzers for hospital and reference laboratories. The new line is expected to be introduced in the United States and Canada in 2014, subject to regulatory approval and other requirements.

Verum Diagnostica GmbH is a 100% subsidiary of Dynabyte Informationssysteme GmbH, developing, producing, and marketing the Multiplate analyzer. Multiplate is one of the most widely applied platelet aggregometers in Europe. Using simple whole blood analysis and intuitive software, the instrument is easy to implement in routine laboratory and near patient environments. Multiplate is the method of choice for many European and international centers and is regarded by many experts as the analyzer best suited for the clinical monitoring of antiplatelet therapy.

Dynabyte also produces test cells and reagents for the determination of platelet function in whole blood for use in hospital laboratories and near-patient settings, such as interventional cardiology, surgery, and intensive care.

"Improving the assessment of a patient's platelet function status is currently a significant unmet need for hematologists, cardiologists and anesthetists in order to support clinical decisions in cardiology, surgery, and intensive care," said Colin Brown, Head of Roche Professional Diagnostics.

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