Third quarter sales for the Life Science Index grew 3.2%, 5.5% excluding currency, to $3,366 million. Operating profit improved 2.7% to $675 million. Based on continuing operations, operating margin slipped 20 basis points to 21.3% of sales.

Fiscal fourth quarter revenue for Becton Dickinson’s BD Biosciences segment advanced 10.0%, 11.6% excluding currency, to $300 million to make up 14% of company sales (see page 12). Segment growth was due to strong instrument sales for the Cell Analysis segment, research funding in Japan, a weak year-over-year comparison and timing of Advance Bioprocessing orders. Excluding delayed orders from the fiscal third quarter, BD Biosciences sales would have increased 4%-5%. International sales climbed 12.3%, 14.7% excluding currency, to account for 69% of BD Biosciences revenue. US sales grew 5.0% to account for 31%. Biosciences operating profit jumped 19.8% to $74.4 million due to the timing of orders and product mix.

Fiscal 2013 revenue for BD Biosciences improved 2.0%, 3.6% excluding currency to $1,102 million to account for 14% of company sales. Segment growth was driven by demand for instruments and reagents in emerging markets, but was partially offset by lower sales in Western Europe. International sales improved 1.6%, 3.8% in local currency, to represent 68% of segment sales. US sales grew 3.1% to make up 32%. BD Biosciences gross margin increased due to product mix, but was partially offset by lower pricing for certain products. Despite increased selling expenses in emerging markets and higher R&D costs, segment operating income expanded 2.7% as a result of currency and improved margins. For fiscal year 2014, BD Biosciences’ revenue is expected to grow 3%–4% on a currency-neutral basis.

Biotage third quarter revenues declined 3.5% to SEK 103.4 million ($15.8 million = SEK 6.55 = $1), but grew 0.7% excluding currency. Despite lower consumables and service revenues, which accounted for 59% of sales, the company gained new customers for purification products and recorded higher sales of sample preparation products. Instrument sales improved to make up 41% of revenues. Overall, US sales were constrained by weak academic spending and accounted for 42% of revenues. Sales to Europe and Japan accounted for 34% and 15% of revenues, respectively. Sales to China, which accounted for 4% of revenues, and India declined the most. Sales to other countries accounted for 5%. Gross margin fell 370 basis points to 56.6% of sales due to currency. As a result, adjusted operating profit contracted 18.6% to SEK 8.5 million ($1.3 million).

Third quarter sales for Fluidigm jumped 43.1% to $18.3 million, driven by single-cell genomics revenues, which grew more than 100% to account for roughly 45% of sales. Instruments revenue soared 61.4% to account for 60% of sales, led by demand for the C1 Single-Cell Auto Prep system and the BioMark HD. Access Array sales also increased due to demand from pharmaceutical customers. Higher service revenue and pricing also contributed to Instrument sales growth. Cumulatively, total shipments of instruments reached 845 units, of which 60% were analytical systems and 40% were preparatory systems. Cumulative C1 system shipments were just under 100 units. Consumables sales grew 22.2% to account for 39% of revenues due to strong demand for Integrated Fluidic Circuits (IFC). Demand from research customers and higher sales of assays and reagents also contributed to Consumables sales growth. By end-market, academic and government customers accounted for 64% of sales. Clinical, and pharmaceutical and biotechnology markets made up 19% and 11%, respectively. Ag-bio customers and other markets represented 3% and 2%, respectively. Sales to the US and Europe grew 30.8% and 47.9% to account for 56% and 22% of Product sales, respectively. Japanese sales rocketed 238.5% to make up 15% due to stimulus funding. Asia Pacific sales fell 29.2% to represent 5%. Sales to Other countries soared 234.1% to account for 2%. Product gross margin slipped 55 basis points to 71.5% of sales due to increased IFC volume, partially offset by higher pricing. Grant and license revenue increased 34.5% to account for 1% of sales. Adjusted operating loss widened 1.1% to $4.0 million due to increased head count and marketing expenses. The company increased its 2013 sales growth forecast from 27%–31% to 32%–34%.

Excluding Royalty payments, third quarter sales for Merck Millipore declined 0.6% to €639.0 million ($852.0 million = €0.75 = $1) to make up 24% of company sales. However, excluding currency headwinds of 7.2% and 0.7% sales growth from the acquisition of Biochrom (see IBO 8/31/12), organic sales grew 5.9%. Royalty, license and commission income, which grew 17.7%, added €6.5 million ($8.7 million) to total Millipore revenue. Process Solutions (PS) sales grew 7.4% organically to account for 42% of Millipore revenues due to strong sales of biotech manufacturing products in Asia, demand from pharmaceutical customers and higher pricing. Lab Solutions sales increased 7.5% organically to make up 42% of sales, driven by demand for biomonitoring products from pharmaceutical markets and higher pricing. Organic Bioscience sales slipped 1.3% to represent 16% of segment sales due to lower demand for laboratory materials in the US as a result of sequestration. Overall, organic Millipore sales to Europe, the US and Emerging Markets grew 2.7%, 1.3% and 17.4% to account for 38%, 27% and 26% of sales, respectively. Organic emerging markets sales for all three business units grew in double digits. Sales to Rest of the World grew 3.6% organically to make up 9%. Gross profit margin advanced 90 basis points to 59.9% of Millipore sales because of higher pricing and manufacturing efficiency. Adjusted operating profit grew 4.5% to €128.9 million ($171.9 million). For the Millipore division, Merck KGaA maintained a moderate organic sales growth outlook for 2013.

Third quarter sales for Sequenom Bioscience, which was formerly named Genetic Analysis, improved 3.2% to $10.7 million to account for 24% of company revenues (see page 12). System and Consumables sales grew 7.6% and 3.1% to make up 34% and 49% of Bioscience sales, respectively. Maintenance services revenue grew 4.0% to represent 12%. Revenue from contract research services contracted 29.7% to make up 5%. Bioscience gross margin advanced 28 basis points to 64.4% of sales. Segment operating profit jumped 71.4% to $1.4 million. During the quarter, the company engaged Jeffries to review all potential strategic options for the Bioscience business (see IBO 9/30/13), which will require significant investments to develop a clinical laboratory version of the MassARRAY system and to distribute and market new assay panels for research use.