QIAGEN and Idaho Technology Settle Patent Dispute
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Patents in this agreement targeting rapid polymerase chain reaction
and High Resolution Melting on Corbett's Rotor-Gene instruments
Venlo, The Netherlands and Salt Lake City, UT, August 4, 2008 -
QIAGEN N.V. (NASDAQ: QGEN; Frankfurt, Prime Standard: QIA) and Idaho
Technology, Inc. are pleased to announce that the companies have
reached a settlement agreement for rights to a suite of intellectual
property relating to Corbett's Rotor-Gene(TM) instruments. This
settlement preceded QIAGEN's acquisition of Corbett Life Science Pty.
Ltd. announced on July 1, 2008. The financial terms of the agreement
were not disclosed.
The agreement covers Idaho Technology, Inc. patents surrounding rapid
polymerase chain reaction methods and instrumentation, the use of
SYBR® Green I in PCR reactions, melting curve analysis (rights
obtained through Roche Diagnostics GmbH), analysis methods of DNA
melting data, specifically high resolution melting (HRM), and others.
The parties further agreed to jointly file a stipulation of dismissal
with prejudice with the District Court in Salt Lake City to end the
pending legal proceedings.
This settlement follows Idaho Technology's January 2007 settlement
with Cepheid involving similar intellectual property and extends
Idaho Technology's program to protect their broad and valuable IP
portfolio.
"We are pleased with this settlement which was a condition for our
transaction with Corbett and which provides customers of Corbett
cyclers and QIAGEN the key freedom to operate elements required to
develop, market and operate performance leading real-time PCR
detection technologies based on Corbett's innovative Rotor-Gene
solutions", said Peer Schatz, QIAGEN's Chief Executive Officer.
"Idaho Technology is a company built on innovation; we are pleased to
have reached a settlement with QIAGEN/Corbett and we look forward to
working with QIAGEN. Protecting our intellectual property will
continue to be exceedingly important to our business." said Randy
Rasmussen, President, Idaho Technology, Inc.
About QIAGEN
QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands holding company, is the leading provider
of sample and assay technologies. Sample technologies are used to
isolate and process DNA, RNA, and proteins from biological samples
such as blood or tissue. Assay technologies are used to make such
isolated biomolecules visible. QIAGEN has developed and markets more
than 500 consumable products as well as automated solutions for such
consumables. The company provides its products to molecular
diagnostics laboratories, academic researchers, pharmaceutical and
biotechnology companies, and applied testing customers for purposes
such as forensics, animal or food testing, and pharmaceutical process
control. QIAGEN's assay technologies include what is considered to be
the broadest panel of molecular diagnostic tests available worldwide.
This panel includes the only FDA-approved test for human
papillomavirus (HPV), the primary cause of cervical cancer. QIAGEN
employs more than 2,700 people in more than 30 locations worldwide.
Further information about QIAGEN can be found at www.qiagen.com.
About Idaho Technology, Inc.
Idaho Technology, Inc. is a privately held biotechnology company
based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Founded in 1990, Idaho Technology
licensed the rapid PCR technology from the University of Utah.
Through funds from the United States Department of Health and Human
Services and the Department of Defense, the company has created many
commercial instruments and reagents for use in research and applied
fields. Several of these products, including the LightCycler®
Instrument, have been sublicensed to Roche Diagnostics. Researchers,
medical technicians, law enforcement officers, and soldiers in the
field use the company's devices to detect or study disease-causing
organisms. For further information, please visit www.idahotech.com.
Certain of the statements contained in this news release may be
considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section
27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E
of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. To the
extent that any of the statements contained herein relating to
QIAGEN's products, markets, strategy or operating results are
forward-looking, such statements are based on current expectations
that involve a number of uncertainties and risks. Such uncertainties
and risks include, but are not limited to, risks associated with
management of growth and international operations (including the
effects of currency fluctuations and risks of dependency on
logistics), variability of operating results, the commercial
development of the applied testing markets, clinical research markets
and proteomics markets, nucleic acid-based molecular diagnostics
market, and genetic vaccination and gene therapy markets,
competition, rapid or unexpected changes in technologies,
fluctuations in demand for QIAGEN's, products (including fluctuations
due to the level and timing of customers' funding, budgets, and other
factors), our ability to obtain regulatory approval of our infectious
disease panels, difficulties in successfully adapting QIAGEN's
products to integrated solutions and producing such products, the
ability of QIAGEN to identify and develop new products and to
differentiate its products from competitors' products, market
acceptance of QIAGEN's new products and the integration of acquired
technologies and businesses. For further information, refer to the
discussions in reports that QIAGEN has filed with, or furnished to,
the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Contacts:
Dr. Solveigh Mähler Dr. Thomas Theuringer
Director Investor Relations Associate Director Public
QIAGEN N.V. Relations
+49 2103 29 11710 QIAGEN GmbH
e-mail: +49-2103-29-11826
solveigh.maehler@qiagen.com email:
thomas.theuringer@qiagen.com
Albert F. Fleury For Idaho:
Investor Relations North America Randy Rasmussen
QIAGEN N.V. President
+1 301 944 7028 Idaho Technology, Inc
e-mail: albert.fleury@qiagen.com +1 (801) 736-6354
e-mail: randy@idahotech.com
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Qiagen N.V.
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