Dade Behring Inc. (NASDAQ:DADE) and Roche Diagnostics announced today that they have granted DiaSorin certain rights related to the development, marketing and manufacturing of immunoassays that can be used for the detection of HIV(human immunodeficiency virus)-1 group O. HIV tests are used to screen patients and also blood donations for HIV infections. By adding the capability of detecting HIV-1 group O to HIV tests, a laboratory can offer more sensitive testing that diagnoses a wider range of HIV infections, therefore reducing the likelihood for a patient to be misdiagnosed or a blood donation to be inaccurately screened for HIV. "We are committed to broadening the availability of more sensitive HIV tests used for this global epidemic, which remains the fourth leading cause of death," said Jim Reid-Anderson, Chairman, President and CEO, Dade Behring. "This agreement enables us to share rights with another company and help them further provide better patient care that's accessible to health care providers worldwide." �This sublicense granted by Dade Behring and Roche Diagnostics, coupled with our expertise of being a pure play global immunodiagnostics company with competitive flagship technology, will allow us to accelerate the development of more reliable tests for HIV and support scientists in targeting this overwhelming disease more effectively,� said Carlo Rosa, CEO and General Manager, DiaSorin. About HIV and AIDS At the end of 2006, an estimated 40 million people were living with HIV or AIDS worldwide1. Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) was first reported in the early 1980's and has since become a major worldwide epidemic. AIDS is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). More than 25 million people have died of AIDS since 19811, making it the fourth leading cause of death worldwide2. By damaging cells of the immune system, HIV progressively destroys the body's ability to fight infections. Individuals diagnosed with AIDS are susceptible to life-threatening diseases called opportunistic infections, which are caused by microbes that usually do not cause illness in people with healthy immune systems. There have been two major types of HIV identified, HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is the most predominant of the two, and includes three categories including group M (main group), group O (for outlier) and group N (for non-M, non-O). About Dade Behring With 2006 revenue of more than $1.7 billion, Dade Behring is the world's largest company solely dedicated to clinical diagnostics. It offers a wide range of products, systems and services designed to meet the day-to-day needs of clinical laboratories, delivering innovative solutions to customers and enhancing the quality of life for patients. Additional company information is available on the Internet at www.dadebehring.com. References 1. Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and World Health Organization (WHO), December 2006 AIDS Epidemic Update. 2. The Global Fund Web site, http://theglobalfund.org/en/about/aids (accessed April 23, 2007). This press release may contain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward statements include information regarding the intent, belief or current expectation of the company and members of its senior management team, including, without limitation, expectations regarding prospective performance and opportunities and the outlook for the company's businesses, performance, opportunities and regulatory approval. In addition, the company is in the process of a major new product launch, which involves risks and uncertainties regarding product performance, costs of introduction and support, and customer acceptance. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the company.
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