LabCorp Announces Definitive Agreement to Acquire Tandem Labs

Laboratory Corporation of America® Holdings (LabCorp®) and Tandem Labs have announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which LabCorp will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Tandem Labs and its parent company NWT Inc.

Tandem Labs will continue to operate under its existing name with its current employee and management structure, as a member of the Esoterix clinical trials group at LabCorp. The transaction, which is subject to regulatory approval, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2008. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

"We are very pleased that Tandem Labs, a premier contract research organization specializing in advanced mass spectrometry, immunoanalytical support, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries is joining our clinical trials business,” said David P. King, President and Chief Executive Officer of LabCorp.

"The proposed acquisition of Tandem Labs further enhances our leadership position in the laboratory and drug development industries, and solidifies LabCorp’s position as the premier laboratory in the emerging field of companion diagnostics. Our clinical trials business, complemented by the proposed acquisition of Tandem, will continue to facilitate the discovery of drugs and laboratory tests that help patients lead better lives.”