Bayer agrees to acquire Visible Genetics Inc. for US$ 61.4 million

25-Jul-2002

Leverkusen/Tarrytown - As a further consolidation of its diagnostics business, Bayer Corporation, the U.S. subsidiary of the Bayer Group, has agreed to acquire Visible Genetics Inc. (VGI), a Canadian company listed on the U.S. NASDAQ stock exchange. The purchase price is valued at US$ 61.4 million; Bayer will purchase VGI's outstanding common shares at a cost of $1.50 per share and Series A preferred stock at par plus accrued dividends. The transaction is subject to approval from the regulatory authorities and the VGI shareholders, who will be asked to approve the plan at a stockholders' meeting scheduled for October 2002.

"This acquisition is another milestone in our ongoing strategy to expand our Infectious Disease portfolio which began with our acquisition of Chiron Diagnostics in 1998," said Rolf Classon, Head of the Diagnostics Division of the future Healthcare subgroup of Bayer AG.

With a market share of around 10 percent in the medical diagnostics sector and annual sales of EUR 2.0 billion, Bayer Diagnostics is among the world's four largest providers in this field. The acquisition of VGI is intended to further expand the company's position in the field of nucleic acid diagnostics.

VGI's assay portfolio complements Bayer's existing range of nucleic acid tests for HIV and hepatitis. VGI plays a leading role in resistance determination by means of sequencing analysis with its TRUGENE tests, which include the TRUGENE HIV-1 test, the only HIV sequencing Genotyping Test to have been granted market approval by the US Food and Drug Administration.

The treatment of viral diseases is frequently complicated by the development of resistant viruses. Resistance testing is therefore carried out as a measure to monitor therapeutic success, an approach that is also recommended in medical guidelines.

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