QIAGEN and Institute for Animal Health Enter Pa...

Worldwide license agreement expands the Company's veterinary assay
  portfolio and aims to contain future outbreaks of the devastating
                            viral disease

Venlo, The  Netherlands -  November 6,  2008 -  QIAGEN N.V.  (NASDAQ:
QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) has announced today that it  has
entered into a worldwide exclusive partnership with the Institute for
Animal Health (IAH), a  leading research and diagnostics  institution
for infectious diseases  of farm animals.  Pursuant to the  agreement
QIAGEN has licensed a novel molecular assay design for bluetongue,  a
devastating viral disease among ruminants  such as sheep and  cattle.
The cador BTV  RT-PCR Kit, which  was developed by  the IAH, will  be
launched  by  QIAGEN  in  2009  and  further  expand  the   company's
veterinary testing portfolio.

Bluetongue is  caused  by  the  bluetongue  virus  (BTV).  It  mainly
afflicts cattle and  sheep which  exhibit the  highest morbidity  and
mortality rates reaching up  to 70 percent.  Since 1998, the  disease
has been rapidly spreading throughout  Europe with outbreaks in  most
countries  including  the  United  Kingdom,  Spain,  Italy,   Greece,
Belgium, The  Netherlands,  Germany and  France.  In 2008  alone,  16
outbreaks  of  the  disease  have  been  registered  across   Europe.
Currently authorities in the Netherlands and several other  countries
in Europe are struggling to contain outbreaks caused by a BTV type 8,
previously only found in Central  and South America, and Africa.  The
IAH estimates the  potential economic  impact of  a major  bluetongue
outbreak to exceed ¤ 600 million  in the U.K. alone - resulting  from
increased mortality  rates, losses  in  milk production,  export  and
animal  movement  restrictions.   Containment  and  therefore   early
detection tools are key to combat this disease.

The new  cador  BTV  RT-PCR  Kit allows  fast  and  highly  sensitive
detection of all 24 known strains of the bluetongue virus;  including
BTV-6 which has  caused the  latest outbreak  of the  disease in  the
Netherlands, and BTV-1, which has spread from North Africa, up to the
north coast of France, threatening  the UK. Because many symptoms  of
bluetongue are not specific to the disease, there is a growing demand
for reliable and fast  laboratory tests which  might help to  contain
future outbreaks.

"The  emergence  and  dissemination  of  new  BTV  strains  currently
observed  in  Europe  pose  a  serious  threat  to  the  agricultural
industry. The  new  cador  BTV  RT-PCR can  help  to  contain  future
outbreaks of  the disease,  and thereby  minimize the  risk of  major
economic damage", explains  Simone Gauch,  Global Marketing  Director
Applied Testing at QIAGEN. "A major advantage of the test is that  it
detects all known  serotypes of the  virus as well  as variants  from
different parts  of  the  world.   The  test  can  be  used  to  test
vaccinated animals,  which are  usually  only protected  against  the
limited number  of  BTV types  addressed  by the  vaccine,  and  thus
animals still  need  to be  screened  as  soon as  they  exhibit  any
symptoms. This  has  been  impossible  using  traditional  diagnostic
methods, because the antibodies present in vaccinated animals are too
similar to  antigens  produced  during  a  new  infection.  Molecular
testing solutions such as the  cador BTV RT-PCR assay eliminate  this
loophole."

"The combination of IAH know-how in bluetongue testing with  QIAGEN's
cutting-edge sample preparation and assay technologies creates a  new
powerful diagnostic  tool to  quickly identify  infected animals  and
thus help to contain bluetongue outbreaks that are likely to occur in
the future", said Prof. Peter Mertens, Head of the Arbovirus Research
Group at the IAH. "Given  QIAGEN's track record in molecular  testing
and its global reach,  the company was a  partner of choice to  bring
this technology to the international  markets in order to fight  this
costly disease."

QIAGEN's veterinary testing business is organized as part of QIAGEN's
Applied  Testing  Section   which  also   includes  rapidly   growing
application areas such as forensics, biodefense, quality control  and
others. In 2006, the company  has entered into a licensing  agreement
with  the  British  Veterinary  Laboratories  Agency  (VLA),  thereby
allowing QIAGEN to enter the fast growing market for veterinary tests
with  validated   assays.   Today,  QIAGEN's   veterinary   portfolio
encompasses a broad range of sample and assay technologies, including
tests for  Avian Flu,  Bovine Viral  Diarrhea (BVDV)  and  Taylorella
equigenitalis.

About BTV
Bluetongue is a hemorrhagic viral disease affecting sheep, cattle and
other ruminants. The disease spreads  mainly via midges, which  serve
as carrier  for the  currently  24 known  strains of  the  bluetongue
virus. Following  an incubation  period  of 5  to 20  days,  infected
animals can exhibit symptoms such as fever, excessive loss of  weight
and swelling of the muzzle, eyelids and ears. The mucosal surfaces of
the mouth become inflamed and ulcerated. The swellings can result  in
insufficient oxygen  supply  to  the  affected  tissues;  the  tongue
thereby develops a characteristic blue or purple color that gives the
disease  its  name.  The  mortality  rate  depends  on  many  factors
including the animal's breed, age,  its health status and the  strain
of the virus. There  is no treatment for  bluetongue. Since 1998  the
distribution of BTV has changed significantly with multiple serotypes
of the  virus  spreading across  Europe  and into  the  South-eastern
United States. These events  have been linked  to climate change  and
its  effect  on   the  insects  (biting   midges)  involved  in   the
transmission of these viruses.

About IAH
The IAH  delivers high  quality  fundamental, strategic  and  applied
science  focused  on  infectious  diseases  of  farm  animals.   This
knowledge is used to advance  veterinary science, and to enhance  the
sustainability of livestock farming.  In addition to research  output
the IAH provides  diagnostic services  for a number  of diseases  and
give expert advice to the  UK government and international  agencies.
IAH is the diagnostic laboratory for bluetongue in the UK, and is the
Reference  Laboratory  for  bluetongue  for  the  EU  and  the  World
Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).  More information can be  found
at 

http://www.iah.ac.uk.

About QIAGEN:
QIAGEN   N.V.,    a    Netherlands   holding    company,    is    the
leading global 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  one  of  the  broadest  panels  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 2,800 people in over  30
locations worldwide. Further information about QIAGEN can be found at
www.qiagen.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, women's  health/HPV testing markets,  nucleic
acid-based molecular diagnostics market, and genetic vaccination  and
gene  therapy   markets,  changing   relationships  with   customers,
suppliers and strategic  partners, 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:


QIAGEN
Public Relations                  Investor Relations
Dr. Thomas Theuringer             Dr. Solveigh Mähler
Tel: [phone]            Tel.: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]              Email: [e-mail]


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