Scottish First Minister visits LifeScan, CA

MILPITAS, Calif., June 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has met with employees and executives at the Milpitas, CA headquarters of LifeScan as part of his four-day trade mission to the United States.

During his visit Mr Salmond - who is the leader of the Scottish Government - pledged to continue the "mutually profitable" working relationship between California and Scotland, which is the home of one of LifeScan's two main overseas plants.

Senior LifeScan staff discussed plans for future growth with Mr Salmond, including the role that their facility in Inverness, Scotland will play in delivery of their corporate strategy.

The First Minister said:

"Scotland and California already have a rich and rewarding relationship that is mutually profitable. In fields such as life sciences - where LifeScan is very influential - we are both renowned worldwide as innovators, which is critical at a time when our economies are still recovering.

"I want to use the best of the expertise and industry in Scotland, together with that of our friends in California, to maximise the economic and scientific returns for us both.

"Today's meeting with LifeScan staff and executives has confirmed to me that we share these same aims. I look forward to us continuing to work together to make the California-Scottish partnership world-leading."

Tito Bacarese-Hamilton, R&D Vice President of LifeScan for Blood Glucose Monitoring, said: "We are very pleased with the support we continue to receive in Scotland and we will build on this strong partnership to further develop innovative solutions that help improve the lives of patients around the world at every stage in their diabetes care."

Danny Cusick, president, Americas, Scottish Development International, said: "Scottish Development International is keen to cooperate even more closely in future with our partners in life sciences in California.

"Scotland is world-renowned for its expertise in the life sciences industry and we are committed to building and strengthening our relationships with California and the US more widely, to realize common goals and to further increase Scotland's reputation as the ideal partner of choice in major international projects."

The First Minister is on a four-day visit to the US to strengthen economic and tourism links.


Background

LifeScan is a Johnson & Johnson company. LifeScan Scotland was created in 2001 when Johnson & Johnson acquired the UK assets of Inverness Medical Ltd, a medical device company established in Inverness in 1995 to design and manufacture glucose test strips and design electronic meters for the global diabetes market.

The company has become a global leader in designing and manufacturing glucose test strips and electronic meters for monitoring diabetes, and has developed diabetes management software, control solutions and lancing devices.

With diabetes now one of the world's fastest-growing medical conditions, LifeScan Scotland is committed to leading the field in researching and developing new products for its customers. The presence of LifeScan Scotland in Inverness has stimulated a cluster of expertise in clinical diagnostics, leading to the creation of the Highland Diabetes Institute and other spin-off companies.

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Audio is available for download from http://soundcloud.com/scotgov.


Contact:
Scottish Government: Annalena Winslow : +44 (0)7917 052265
LifeScan: Dave Detmers: 408 859 7973 - [email protected]

SOURCE Scottish Development International