Qiagen to Acquire Spanish Biotech STAT-Dx in €153M Deal
Dutch technology conglomerate Qiagen is now all set to acquire Barcelona-based Stat-Dx, a developer of multiplex infectious disease diagnostics, for up to approximately $147 million in cash.
Stat-Dx shareholders are also eligible to receive up to $44 million in milestones.
Stat-Dx’s DiagCORE technology will be renamed QIAstat-Dx, once the transaction is formalized. It is a diagnostic test that allows the processing of any type of sample without prior preparation and that facilitates the result of up to 48 molecular targets simultaneously. With this test, serious respiratory or gastrointestinal infections can be diagnosed, as well as being very useful in oncology.
Stat-Dx has already started the commercialization of its product but in closed circuit as a test. Qiagen plans a commercial launch in Europe of broad spectrum respiratory and gastrointestinal tests. The partners expect the deal to close next quarter.
“The acquisition of Stat-Dx marks our entry into a very attractive, fast-growing market for syndromic testing with a system that represents the next generation of molecular multiplex testing,” Qiagen CEO Peer Schatz said during a call with ‘genomeweb’. “This market has seen several first-generation entries, but … reimbursement and in particular clinical needs have evolved significantly. This has changed the required specifications and created new customer needs. We believe QIAStat-Dx represents a very unique answer to these new needs and target specifications.
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