HERCULES, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- October 16, 2006 -- Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (AMEX: BIO) (AMEX: BIOb), a multinational manufacturer and distributor of life science research and clinical diagnostics products, announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Blackhawk BioSystems, Inc., a San Ramon, California-based manufacturer of quality control products for use in laboratories that perform infectious disease testing procedures. The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Founded in 1989, Blackhawk BioSystems is a privately held company whose product offerings include the complete line of VIROTROL® independent quality assurance reagents that are used along with commercially available testing procedures for hepatitis, HIV, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and a variety of other test procedures such as assays for congenital diseases, Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), H.pylori, and Lyme. With the acquisition of Blackhawk BioSystems infectious disease controls, Bio-Rad will be able to offer a broader line of quality control products for the clinical laboratory.
"We are thrilled to have the opportunity to expand our quality control product offerings with Blackhawk BioSystems infectious disease controls," said Norman Schwartz, Bio-Rad President and CEO. "Customers for these new controls will soon have the support of Bio-Rad's unique quality assurance software system, which offers customers online access to quality control data provided by thousands of laboratories worldwide for peer group interlaboratory comparison."
About Bio-Rad
Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (AMEX: BIO) (AMEX: BIOb) has remained at the center of scientific discovery for more than 50 years manufacturing and distributing a broad range of products for the life science research and clinical diagnostics markets. The company is renowned worldwide among hospitals, universities, major research institutions as well as biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies for its commitment to quality and customer service. Founded in 1952, Bio-Rad is headquartered in Hercules, California, and serves more than 85,000 research and industry customers worldwide through its global network of operations. The company employs over 5,000 people globally and had revenues of $1.1 billion in 2005. For more information, visit www.bio-rad.com.
Various statements made within this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" for the purposes of the Securities and Exchange Commission's "safe harbor" provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The forward-looking statements contained herein involve risks and uncertainties that could cause results to differ materially from the Company's expectation.
For more information, please contact: Tina Cuccia Corporate Communications Manager Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. 510-724-7000 Email Contact
SOURCE: Bio-Rad Laboratories
