Company Announcements

Roche Diagnostics’ second quarter sales of qPCR and NAP (nucleic acid purification) Systems increased 6%.

Fiscal first quarter sales ending June 30 for Hitachi High-Technologies Science and Medical Systems (SMS) fell 18.0% to ¥29,100 million ($294.5 million) to account for 22% of revenues (see IBO 7/31/13). Biotechnology, Medical and Electron Microscopes declined 26.2%, 22.3% and 43.3% to make up 11%, 59% and 13% of SMS sales, respectively. Other Scientific Instruments climbed 96.2% to represent 18% due to the acquisition of SII Nanotechnology (see IBO 12/15/12). SMS operating profit fell 69.2% to ¥16,000 million ($161.9 million). Fiscal second quarter SMS sales are projected to grow 5% to ¥36,100 million ($365.0 million).

Mettler-Toledo’s second quarter Laboratory-related product revenue grew 3% in both US dollars and local currency to $266 million, or 46% of company revenues. Solid growth in Europe and the Americas was partially offset by reduced sales volume in Asia Pacific, particularly China.

QIAGEN second quarter adjusted revenues grew 3.0%, 1% excluding acquisitions, to $316.4 million (see IBO 7/31/13). Consumables and related revenues grew 4% to make up 89% of sales, and Instruments sales declined 8%. Molecular Diagnostics, Academia and Pharma sales grew 4%, 3% and 4% to make up 49%, 23% and 20%, respectively. Applied Testing sales fell 4% to account for 8%. Excluding currency, sales to the Americas and Europe/Middle East/Africa each grew 2% to make up 48% and 32% of sales, respectively. Sales to Asia-Pacific/Japan grew 8% excluding currency to represent 19%. Adjusted operating profit fell 3.5% to $83.4 million. In 2013, currency-neutral sales are expected to grow 5% including acquisitions.

Life Technologies announced in July a five-year agreement with the FDA for three projects: new food safety tests for foodborne pathogens, including development of real-time PCR assays against unique E. coli and Salmonella targets; a complete workflow for food pathogen detection on the Ion PGM platform; FDA evaluation of new disruptive technology for use in pathogen detection.

In August, Life Technologies opened a forensics lab in Gurgaon, India, to provide DNA profiling services.

PerkinElmer established direct operations in Israel in August.

In August, Thermo Fisher Scientific announced the opening of the Thermo Scientific Pesticide Analysis Center of Excellence in Runcorn, UK.

Agilent Diagnostics & Genomics second quarter revenue grew 53.8% to $163 million (see IBO 8/15/13). Dako accounted for 57% of sales. Excluding Dako, clinical market sales grew double digits due to demand for CGH arrays and target enrichment solutions. Sales to the academic and government market declined. Orders increased 51.0% to $160 million.

In August, Bruker named Thomas Bachmann president of Bruker BioSpin. He previously served as CEO of Tecan.