Thermo Fisher Scientific to Acquire QIAGEN N.V.

- Expands specialty diagnostics portfolio with attractive molecular diagnostics capabilities, including infectious disease testing

- Complements leading life sciences offering with innovative sample preparation, assay and bioinformatics technologies

- Creates significant value and is expected to be immediately accretive to adjusted earnings per share after close

WALTHAM, Mass. and VENLO, Netherlands /PRNewswire/ -- Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO), the world leader in serving science, and QIAGEN N.V. (NYSE: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA), a leading global provider of molecular diagnostics and sample preparation technologies, today announced that their boards of directors, as well as the managing board of QIAGEN N.V., have unanimously approved Thermo Fisher's proposal to acquire QIAGEN for €39 per share in cash. The offer price represents a premium of approximately 23% to the closing price of QIAGEN's common stock on the Frankfurt Prime Standard on March 2, 2020, the last trading day prior to the announcement of the transaction. Thermo Fisher will commence a tender offer to acquire all of the ordinary shares of QIAGEN.

 

The transaction values QIAGEN at approximately $11.5 billion at current exchange rates, which includes the assumption of approximately $1.4 billion of net debt.

"We are excited to bring together our complementary offerings to advance our customers' important work, from discovery to diagnostics," said Marc N. Casper, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Thermo Fisher Scientific. "This acquisition provides us with the opportunity to leverage our industry-leading capabilities and R&D expertise to accelerate innovation and address emerging healthcare needs. For shareholders, we expect the transaction to be immediately accretive and to generate significant cost and revenue synergies."

QIAGEN is a leading provider of life science and molecular diagnostic solutions and employs approximately 5,100 people at 35 locations in more than 25 countries. The company generated 2019 revenue of $1.53 billion. Its sample preparation technologies are used to extract, isolate and purify DNA, RNA and proteins from a wide range of biological samples. The company's assay technologies are then used to amplify and enrich these biomolecules to make them readily accessible for analysis. In addition, QIAGEN's instruments can be used to automate these workflows, while its bioinformatics systems provide customers with relevant, actionable insights.

"Our vision at QIAGEN has always been to make improvements in life possible with our differentiated Sample to Insight molecular testing solutions," said Thierry Bernard, interim chief executive officer of QIAGEN N.V. and senior vice president, head of the molecular diagnostics business area. "This strategic step with Thermo Fisher will enable us to enter a promising new era and will give our employees the opportunity to have an even greater impact. The combination is designed to deliver significant cash value to our shareholders, while enabling us to accelerate the expansion of our solutions to provide customers worldwide with breakthroughs that advance our knowledge about the science of life and improve health outcomes."

Casper concluded, "We look forward to welcoming QIAGEN's employees to Thermo Fisher and are excited about the new opportunities we'll have to advance precision medicine through new molecular diagnostics and improved life sciences workflows."

Benefits of the Transaction

Expands Specialty Diagnostics Portfolio with Attractive Molecular Diagnostics Capabilities, Including Infectious Disease Testing. Thermo Fisher has built leading specialty diagnostics capabilities, including allergy and autoimmunity, transplant diagnostics and clinical oncology testing. QIAGEN has a strong presence in molecular diagnostics with a product portfolio focused on infectious disease and other growth opportunities. The combined company will accelerate the development of higher-specificity, faster and more comprehensive tests that may improve patient outcomes and reduce the cost of care.

Complementary Offering Enhances Unique Value Proposition for Life Sciences Customers. For life sciences researchers, QIAGEN's innovative sample preparation, assay and bioinformatics technologies are complementary to Thermo Fisher's genetic analysis and biosciences capabilities. As an example, with an expanded portfolio, Thermo Fisher will be able to provide research customers with broader capabilities to accelerate discovery and enable scientific breakthroughs. 

Commercial and Geographic Reach Expand Customer Access. Thermo Fisher will be able to leverage its extensive commercial reach, including its Fisher Scientific customer channels and comprehensive e-commerce platforms, to expand customer access to QIAGEN's product portfolio. Furthermore, given Thermo Fisher's leading presence in high-growth and emerging markets, QIAGEN will be able to further penetrate these regions.

Delivers Attractive Financial Benefits through the PPI Business System, Including Proven Integration Approach. The transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to Thermo Fisher's adjusted EPS after close. Thermo Fisher expects to realize total synergies of $200 million by year three following the close, consisting of $150 million of cost synergies and $50 million of adjusted operating income1 benefit from revenue synergies.


About QIAGEN

QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands-based holding company, is the leading global provider of Sample to Insight solutions that enable customers to gain valuable molecular insights from samples containing the building blocks of life. Our sample technologies isolate and process DNA, RNA and proteins from blood, tissue and other materials. Assay technologies make these biomolecules visible and ready for analysis. Bioinformatics software and knowledge bases interpret data to report relevant, actionable insights. Automation solutions tie these together in seamless and cost-effective workflows. QIAGEN provides solutions to more than 500,000 customers around the world in Molecular Diagnostics (human healthcare) and Life Sciences (academia, pharma R&D and industrial applications, primarily forensics). As of December 31, 2019, QIAGEN employed approximately 5,100 people in over 35 locations worldwide. Further information can be found at http://www.qiagen.com.

Nice Insight

Nice Insight, established in 2010, is the research division of That’s Nice, A Science Agency, providing data and analysis from proprietary annual surveys, custom primary qualitative and quantitative research as well as extensive secondary research. Current annual surveys include The Nice Insight Contract Development & Manufacturing (CDMO/CMO), Survey The Nice Insight Contract Research - Preclinical and Clinical (CRO) Survey, The Nice Insight Pharmaceutical Equipment Survey, and The Nice Insight Pharmaceutical Excipients Survey.

Thermo Fisher Scientific

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO) is the world leader in serving science, with annual revenue exceeding $25 billion. Our Mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Whether our customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, improving patient diagnostics and therapies or increasing productivity in their laboratories, we are here to support them. Our global team of more than 75,000 colleagues delivers an unrivaled combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and pharmaceutical services through our industry-leading brands, including Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services and Patheon. 

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