BD Acquires Sirigen Group Limited

BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) has announced that it has acquired Sirigen Group Limited, a developer of unique polymer dyes that are used in flow cytometry and can be applied to other technologies.

Sirigen's polymer technology is based on Nobel Prize-winning research in conductive plastics and creates the potential for the development of novel dyes that are four to ten times brighter than conventional dyes - a breakthrough in the field.

"This new technology is a natural complement to our instrument platforms and reagent portfolio," said Alberto Mas, President, BD Biosciences.

Mas continued, "We believe that the acquisition will enable us to develop a continuous cadence of novel, unique dyes and antibody specificity releases over the next two years, significantly expanding our life science research reagent portfolio with high-impact products."

"This acquisition is one more example of our pursuit of growth through innovation, in this case investing in a unique technology that enables us to differentiate our life science research reagent portfolio and add value for customers," said William A. Kozy, BD Executive Vice President.

The financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. On a GAAP basis, the transaction is expected to be dilutive to FY 2012 earnings per share by approximately $0.01.

The Company is maintaining its full year EPS outlook as provided in its third quarter press release.