Qiagen to acquire Cellestis
Qiagen N.V. (Xetra:QIA; NASDAQ:QGEN) will acquire Australian diagnostics company Cellestis Ltd. (ASX:CST) for A$3.55 per share or A$341 million ($354.4 million) in cash. The price is an 18% premium to Cellestis' close of A$3 on Friday, before the deal was announced. The deal is subject to Cellestis shareholder approval at a meeting slated for June.
Qiagen said Cellestis' QuantiFeron diagnostic technology will complement its portfolio of molecular diagnostics, including the QIAensemble and QIAsymphony automation systems. Cellestis' QuantiFeron-TB Gold is approved in the U.S., Europe, Canada and Japan for the detection of tuberculosis infection. QuantiFeron-CMV is approved in Europe to assess cytomegalovirus (CMV) risk in solid organ transplant recipients. Cellestis reported A$40.4 million ($34.5 million) in revenue for the fiscal year ending June 10, 2010. ...