NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Thermo Fisher Scientific has agreed to acquire German diagnostics firm Brahms for €330 million ($471 million) in a deal that will complement its immunoassay test portfolio and expand its reagent manufacturing capabilities in Europe.
Brahms, based in Henningsdorf, Germany, makes tests based on biomarkers for sepsis, cardiovascular, and pulmonary diseases, as well as intensive care treatments and prenatal screening products. The firm has around 400 employees in 65 countries worldwide and had 2008 annual revenues of approximately $105 million.
Privately-held Brahms' flagship product is the procalcitonin biomarker for diagnosis and treatment of sepsis.
Brahms' "assays and instrumentation are a strong complement to our existing products for immunoassay testing, and its robust R&D pipeline creates promising opportunities to commercialize new patented diagnostic tests," Thermo Fisher President and CEO Marijn Dekkers said in a statement. "In addition, the company gives us a significant reagent manufacturing footprint in Europe, while allowing us to leverage our deep customer access in the US to market innovative new Brahms products, such as PCT and others now in development."
Brahms will be integrated into Thermo Fisher's specialty diagnostics business, which is part of the company's Analytcial Technologies segment. The deal is expected to close later this month.