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PerkinElmer Completes Acquisition of ViaCell
Strengthens Commitment to
Neonatal, Prenatal and Maternal Health
Solutions
WALTHAM, Mass.--Nov. 15,
2007--PerkinElmer, Inc. (NYSE: PKI), a
global leader in Health Sciences,
today announced that it has
successfully completed its acquisition
of ViaCell, Inc., a
biotechnology company specializing in
the collection and preservation
of umbilical cord blood stem cells.
The acquisition expands
PerkinElmer's
offerings and reach in the neonatal, prenatal and
maternal health markets.
ViaCell's
ViaCord(R) product offering allows expectant
families to
preserve their baby's umbilical cord blood
at the time of birth for
possible future medical use in treating
over 40 life-threatening
diseases, including certain leukemias, immune system deficiencies, and
metabolic disorders. The addition of ViaCord and ViaCell's highly
qualified sales and marketing
organization provides PerkinElmer with a
leading offering in the rapidly
growing cord blood banking business,
as well as an enhanced ability to
reach obstetric professionals and
prospective parents. ViaCell customers will continue to benefit from
ViaCord's
high-quality cord blood banking offering and expertise, and
now will have access to a wider range
of neonatal, prenatal and
maternal health solutions from PerkinElmer.
"PerkinElmer
is committed to protecting the health of mothers and
babies from pregnancy through birth
and beyond," said Robert F. Friel,
President and Chief Operating Officer,
PerkinElmer. "The addition of
ViaCell
marks another step in our efforts to become a leading provider
of innovative prenatal, neonatal and maternal healthcare solutions. We
will continue to look for
opportunities to build our product portfolio
and provide the most comprehensive and
accurate assessment of newborn
and maternal health to families and
their healthcare providers."
PerkinElmer is the world's leading provider of newborn
screening
systems, offering the world's first
and only tandem mass spectrometry
(MS/MS) kit cleared by the FDA as an
aid to screening for inborn
errors of metabolism. The Company
continues to drive the advancement
of newborn screening with the capability
to analyze more than 40
disease markers with a single blood
sample. PerkinElmer estimates that
every baby screened in the U.S.
today is tested using its screening
tools, and has helped identify more
than 100,000 infants globally who
were determined to be at risk for
potentially life-threatening
diseases.
As part of its rapidly
growing offerings for prenatal and maternal
health, PerkinElmer
currently offers Ultra-Screen(R), a
first-trimester prenatal screening
protocol designed to provide
patient-specific risk assessment for
certain chromosomal
abnormalities, through its clinical
test subsidiary, NTD Laboratories.
The Company also holds a global
licensing agreement to develop assay
kits for the ADAM12 biochemical
marker, which has broad potential in
maternal health screening for fetal
chromosomal abnormalities, and has
secured global rights for Placental
Protein 13 (PP13), a new maternal
serum marker currently under investigation
that has shown potential
for early detection of pre-eclampsia in low-risk groups.
Factors Affecting Future
Performance
This press release
contains "forward-looking" statements within
the meaning of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995,
including, but not limited to, statements
relating to our genetic
screening business. Words such as
"believes," "intends,"
"anticipates,"
"plans," "expects," "projects,"
"forecasts," "will" and
similar expressions, and references to
guidance, are intended to
identify forward-looking statements.
Such statements are based on
management's current assumptions and expectations
and no assurances
can be given that our assumptions or expectations
will prove to be
correct. A number of important risk
factors could cause actual results
to differ materially from the results
described, implied or projected
in any forward-looking statements. These factors include, without
limitation: (1) our failure to introduce
new products in a timely
manner; (2) our ability to execute
acquisitions and license
technologies, or to successfully
integrate acquired businesses and
licensed technologies into our existing
business or to make them
profitable; (3) our failure to protect
adequately our intellectual
property; (4) the loss of any of our
licenses or licensed rights; (5)
our ability to compete effectively;
(6) fluctuation in our quarterly
operating results and our ability to
adjust our operations to address
unexpected changes; (7) our ability to
produce an adequate quantity of
products to meet our customers'
demands; (  our failure to
maintain
compliance with applicable government
regulations; (9) regulatory
changes; (10) our failure to comply
with health care industry
regulations; (11) economic, political
and other risks associated with
foreign operations; (12) our ability to
retain key personnel; (13)
restrictions in our credit agreements;
(14) our ability to realize the
full value of our intangible assets;
and (15) other factors which we
describe under the caption "Risk
Factors" in our most recent annual
report on Form 10-K and in our most recent
quarterly report on Form
10-Q and in our other filings with the
Securities and Exchange
Commission. We disclaim any
intention or obligation to update any
forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after
the date of this press release.
PerkinElmer,
Inc. is a global technology leader driving growth and
innovation in Health Sciences and Photonics
markets to improve the
quality of life. The Company reported
revenues of $1.55 billion in
2006, has 8,500 employees serving
customers in more than 125
countries, and is a component of the
S&P 500 Index. Additional
information is available through www.perkinelmer.com or
1-877-PKI-NYSE.
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CONTACT: Investor
Relations:
PerkinElmer, Inc.
Michael A. Lawless, 781-663-5659
or
Media Contact:
PerkinElmer, Inc.
Kevin J. Lorenc, 781-663-5701
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