NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Accelrys today announced the $35 million all-cash acquisition of VelQuest in a deal that extends the San Diego-based company's capabilities beyond research into the quality assurance and quality control phases of product development.
VelQuest, based in Hopkinton, Mass., provides paperless laboratory execution systems that support current Good Manufacturing Practices for US Food and Drug Administration-regulated industries, including pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms. The acquisition is expected to offer significant productivity improvements, faster cycle times, more inexpensive operation costs, and reduced compliance risks for regulated life sciences organizations, Accelrys said.
Some of VelQuest's offerings have been integrated with Acclerys' solutions, and the purchase creates an opportunity to move VelQuest products beyond the life sciences by leveraging Accelrys' existing market presence and relationships with customers in other industries, according to an Accelrys statement.
Key members of VelQuest's management team also will move to Accelrys.
Accelrys expects the deal to be slightly dilutive to full-year 2012 non-GAAP net income per share, it said.