QIAGEN Exceeds 2012 Goal for Placements of QIAsymphony Breakthrough Laboratory Automation System

Strong demand from Molecular Diagnostics and Applied Testing customers worldwide, also placements achieved for use in Pharma and Academia

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Qiagen N.V.

Jan 07, 2013, 04:00 ET

HILDEN, Germany and GERMANTOWN, Maryland, January 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

QIAGEN N.V. (NASDAQ: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) announced today that it exceeded its goal for new placements of the QIAsymphony modular laboratory workflow platform in 2012. The growth of QIAsymphony, which offers full workflow solutions from biological sample to result, reached well more than 750 placements at the end of 2012, building on more than 550 at the end of 2011.

"We are very pleased to have exceeded our 2012 target for QIAsymphony, a breakthrough automation system that is improving laboratory workflows and accelerating the dissemination of molecular testing. We expect QIAsymphony to be a growth driver for QIAGEN over the next decade, and the strong uptake in the early years of its introduction is very positive," said Peer M. Schatz, Chief Executive Officer of QIAGEN N.V. "Customers in Molecular Diagnostics, Applied Testing and other types of molecular laboratories continue to respond positively to the cost-effective workflow and growing menu of test content for the QIAsymphony. We expect QIAsymphony placements to exceed 1,000 by the end of 2013 while also delivering on initiatives to expand the test menu, particularly in the United States and Europe, that will further increase the use of our consumables by customers."

QIAsymphony is an innovative, easy-to-use modular system that integrates a molecular laboratory's workflow from initial biological sample processing to final result. The QIAsymphony SP (sample preparation) and AS (assay setup) modules were introduced in 2008 and 2009, respectively, and in late 2010 QIAGEN launched the fully integrated QIAsymphony RGQ system that added the Rotor-Gene Q, the world's first rotary real-time PCR cycler, to the system. QIAsymphony gives customers access to a broad range of commercially available assays while also allowing them to run laboratory-developed tests (LDTs), which often account for more than half the volume of molecular testing in a typical laboratory. Additional features include continuous loading, random access and the ability to process an almost unlimited range of sample types.

Approximately 70% of all QIAsymphony systems placed through the end of 2012 have been with Molecular Diagnostics customers, and primarily to these customers through reagent rental agreements where revenues are recognized over a multi-year period. In the Life Sciences customer classes, which account for approximately 30% of placements, demand has also been strong among Applied Testing customers (human ID/forensics, food safety and veterinary medicine), particularly following the launch of new QIAsymphony protocols for these applications in early 2012.

About QIAGEN

QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands holding company, is the leading global provider of Sample & Assay Technologies that are used to transform biological materials into valuable molecular information. Sample technologies are used to isolate and process DNA, RNA and proteins from biological samples such as blood or tissue. Assay technologies are then used to make these isolated biomolecules visible and ready for interpretation. QIAGEN markets more than 500 products around the world, selling both consumable kits and automation systems to customers through four customer classes: Molecular Diagnostics (human healthcare), Applied Testing (forensics, veterinary testing and food safety), Pharma (pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies) and Academia (life sciences research). As of September 30, 2012, QIAGEN employed approximately 4,000 people in over 35 locations worldwide. Further information can be found at http://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, including without limitation its expected operating results, are forward-looking, such statements are based on current expectations and assumptions 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, regulatory processes and dependence on logistics), variability of operating results and allocations between customer classes, the commercial development of markets for our products in applied testing, personalized healthcare, clinical research, proteomics, women's health/HPV testing and nucleic acid-based molecular diagnostics; 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 general economic conditions, the level and timing of customers' funding, budgets and other factors); our ability to obtain regulatory approval of our products; 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 and protect our products from competitors' products; market acceptance of QIAGEN's new products, the consummation of acquisitions, and the integration of acquired technologies and businesses. For further information, please refer to the discussions in reports that QIAGEN has filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).