Qiagen has amended its original proposal to acquire Australia's Cellestis, increasing its per-share offer price to A$3.80 ($4.06) from the original offer price of A$3.55 ($3.79).
The amended proposal represents "an attractive outcome for Cellestis shareholders," Qiagen says in a release. It also will provide Qiagen with exclusive rights to QuantiFERON technology, a novel pre-molecular technology.
The Cellestis board of directors continues to unanimously recommend shareholders vote in favor of the deal, which was announced in April, in the absence of a superior proposal. An independent expert issued a report last month concluding that the original QIAGEN proposal was fair and reasonable. Cellestis will seek Australian court approval to adjourn the "scheme meeting" scheduled for July 20 until the first week of August.
Separately, Qiagen has entered into agreements with a group of major shareholders of Ipsogen to purchase roughly 61% of that company. The move comes less than a month after Qiagen announced it was in negotiations to purchase an initial stake in Ipsogen from shareholders for €12.90 ($18.13) per share.
The acquisition will give Qiagen access to a range of assays covering 15 biomarkers used for the diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring of patients with various blood cancers.
ALSO: A scientific expedition led by the University of South Carolina and supported by Qiagen hopes to measure the genetic impact of radioactivity on animals and plants in areas surrounding Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. It marks the beginning of a long-term research project designed to better understand the actual impact of radiation on molecular building blocks of life such as DNA and the consequences for ecosystems. The work will build on results gained after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and provide more comprehensive data for hazard assessment of nuclear accidents. Qiagen release
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