Quidel and bioMérieux Announce a Global Strategic Alliance in Rapid Diagnostics

bioMérieux will be the exclusive distributor of all of Quidel’s current QuickVue rapid diagnostic tests in all countries with the exception of the United States, Japan and Scandinavia, starting in May 2008. Branding for these products will reflect the strength and market power of both companies. bioMérieux has over 1,900 sales, marketing and service representatives and a base of more than 45,000 instruments installed in over 150 countries worldwide. bioMérieux is a world leader in diagnostics for infectious diseases and has developed a very large library of biologics for its automated immunoassay systems, VIDAS® and VIDIA®.

“Quidel is pleased to be entering into a mutually beneficial alliance with a globally respected diagnostics leader that increases the reach of our products to markets around the world. Our intention is to create a partnership for co-development of a pipeline of new, high-value point-of-care tests intended to be sold in the U.S. by Quidel and in the rest of the world by bioMérieux exclusively,” said Caren Mason, president and CEO of Quidel Corporation.

“We are delighted with this very synergistic partnership with Quidel,” said Stéphane Bancel, CEO of bioMérieux. “Quidel is recognized for the high quality of its products and its focus on providing accurate and cost-effective solutions to detect and minimize the spread of infectious diseases. Together, we will establish a global brand supporting clinicians’ decisions at their patients’ point-of-care,” he added.
 

About bioMérieux
Advancing Diagnostics to Improve Public Health
A world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics for over 40 years, bioMérieux is present in more than 150 countries through 35 subsidiaries and a large network of distributors. In 2006, revenues reached over €1 billion with 83% of sales outside of France.

bioMérieux provides diagnostic solutions (reagents, instruments, software) which determine the source of disease and contamination to improve patient health and ensure consumer safety. Our products are used for diagnosing infectious diseases and providing high medical value results for cardiovascular emergencies and cancer screening and monitoring. They are also used for detecting microorganisms in agri-food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. bioMérieux is listed on Eurolist by Euronext. Other information can be found at www.biomerieux.com.

About Quidel Corporation
Quidel Corporation serves to enhance the health and well-being of people around the globe through the discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of rapid diagnostic solutions at the point of care (POC) in infectious diseases and reproductive health. Marketed under the leading brand name of QuickVue®, Quidel’s portfolio of products currently includes tests that aid in the diagnosis of several disease or condition states, including influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, Fecal Occult Blood, Strep A, pregnancy, bacterial vaginosis, H. pylori and Chlamydia. Quidel's products are sold to healthcare professionals with a focus on the physician office lab and acute care markets through leading medical distribution partners on a worldwide basis. Quidel's Specialty Products Group (SPG) develops research products in the fields of oncology and bone health with potential future point-of-care applications. By building value in rapid diagnostic tests, Quidel provides leadership to the industry and among healthcare professionals allowing for the movement of patient testing out of the central laboratory setting and into the physician office, urgent care and other outpatient settings where rapid testing and treatment has an impact on clinical outcomes and provides an economic benefit. For more information, visit http://www.quidel.com/, http://www.colorectal-test.com/ or http://www.flutest.com/.

Quidel Forward-looking Statement: This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws that involve material risks, assumptions and uncertainties. Many possible events or factors could affect our future financial results and performance, such that our actual results and performance may differ materially. As such, no forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Differences in actual results and performance may arise as a result of a number of factors including, without limitation, seasonality, the length and severity of cold and flu seasons, uncertainty surrounding the detection of novel influenza viruses involving human specimens, adverse changes in the competitive and economic conditions in domestic and international markets, actions of our major distributors, technological changes and uncertainty with research and technology development, including any future molecular-based technology, the reimbursement system currently in place and future changes to that system, manufacturing and production delays or difficulties, adverse actions or delays in product reviews by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”), intellectual property, product liability, environmental or other litigation, required patent license fee payments not currently reflected in our costs, potential inadequacy of booked reserves and possible impairment of goodwill, and lower than anticipated sales or market penetration of our new products. Forward-looking statements typically are identified by the use of terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “might,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” and similar words, although some forward-looking statements are expressed differently. The risks described under “Risk Factors” in reports and registration statements that we file with the SEC from time to time should be carefully considered. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect management’s analysis only as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to publicly release the results of any revision or update of the forward-looking statements.

Quidel® and QuickVue® are registered trademarks of Quidel Corporation.

Quidel Contacts:
Quidel Corporation
John Radak
Chief Financial Officer
+1 858-552-7962

Or

Porter Novelli Life Sciences
Susan Neath
+1 619-849-6007

bioMérieux Contacts:

Investor Relations
bioMérieux
Hervé Laurent
Tel: + 33 4 78 87 22 37
investor.relations@eu.biomerieux.com

LT Value
Nancy Levain
Tel: + 33 1 55 27 15 88
nancy.levain@ltvalue.com

Media Relations
bioMérieux
Koren Wolman-Tardy
Tel: + 33 4 78 87 20 08
media@eu.biomerieux.com

Image Sept
Laurence Heilbronn
Tel: + 33 1 53 70 74 64
lheilbronn@image7.fr

Thiphaine Hecketsweiler
Tel: + 33 1 53 70 74 59
thecketsweiler@image7.fr