NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Bioanalytical testing company Eurofins Scientific today said it has signed a definitive agreement to purchase esoteric reference laboratory ViraCor-IBT Laboratories for about $255 million.
Eurofins is purchasing VIBT from majority owner Ampersand Capital, a private equity firm, and other shareholders. The deal is anticipated to close within 60 days, Eurofins said.
Lee's Summitt, MO.-based VIBT provides molecular biomarker support, as well as molecular testing for hospitals, physicians, and biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms. It has more than 2,000 high-complexity tests available for infectious disease, immunology, and allergy complications. The company's molecular technology capabilities include quantitative and qualitative PCR and DNA sequencing, and it also provides immunoassay-based testing.
VIBT serves 550 institutional clients and more than 4,000 affiliated clinicians, as well as 12 pharmaceutical firms in the US. VIBT's revenues for 2014 are expected to exceed $80 million, and in Q1 2014 revenues grew 12 percent organically, Eurofins said.
The deal strengthens Eurofins' genomic and pharma service offerings and "establishes a leading presence in the specialty clinical testing services [market] for infectious disease, immunology, allergy, HLA, and serology," Eurofins said in a statement.
"VIBT provides Eurofins [with a] strong entry and leadership position in the specialty diagnostic testing market, thereby significantly enhancing our capabilities in pharmaceutical testing," Eurofins CEO Gilles Martin said. "Furthermore, the addition of VIBT into the Eurofins Group allows Eurofins to leverage its renowned competence in genomic testing to better serve the global healthcare community."
Eurofins recently created a genomics division called Eurofins Genomics, comprised of the former Eurofins MWG Operon and Eurofins Medigenomix. It said today, however, that VIBT will retain its current name and all 270 of its employees. No site consolidations or restructuring costs are anticipated to result from the transaction, it added.