GenePOC, a subsidiary of Debiopharm Group, reaches an agreement with Meridian Bioscience for the acquisition of their molecular diagnostics business

Lausanne, Switzerland (ots) - Debiopharm (www.debiopharm.com),
announced today having reached an agreement with Meridian Bioscience,
Inc. for Meridian to acquire GenePOC's (Canadian affiliate of
Debiopharm) molecular diagnostics business portfolio. This decision
was made in response to the need to identify a partner with a solid
commercialization capacity, in order to quickly offer the benefit of
GenePOC's rapid, high-quality diagnostics testing to patients,
supporting diagnosis and guidance towards targeted therapeutic
decisions for infectious diseases.

Debiopharm became the major shareholder of GenePOC in July 2016.
Over years of collaboration, ongoing clinical development led to a
number of achievements including FDA approval and European CE marking
of the revogene® device and 3 rapid molecular assays for Group A and
B Streptococcus along with the Clostridium difficile test. Recently,
the Carba assay also received CE marking certification. With these
approved assays and a robust pipeline GenePOC has become a key player
in the development of rapid diagnostic tools.

Meridian Bioscience has a long, proven history in both the
laboratory diagnostics and life sciences markets. Meridian develops,
manufactures, markets and distributes a broad range of innovative
diagnostic test kits, purified reagents and biopharmaceutical
enabling technologies. With an extensive commercial infrastructure
and experienced sales force in the U.S., Europe and other major
markets, the company targets hospitals, specialized laboratories,
research centers, diagnostic manufacturers and companies with its
broad offering.

"When we integrated GenePOC into Debiopharm, the main objective
was to quickly bring their instrument and diagnostic tests to market
approval. As antibiotic resistance is a major public health issue, it
has become urgent to offer patients rapid diagnostic tools to guide
therapies targeting the precise pathogen. Meridian's extensive
commercial infrastructure and their undisputed experience make it an
ideal partner for GenePOC. After nearly 4 years of collaboration, it
is difficult to part ways, but we are happy to have successfully
achieved our objectives together. I am deeply grateful to the entire
team for their ongoing commitment." -Thierry Mauvernay, President of
Debiopharm

"We are very excited to be adding the GenePOC technology and team
to Meridian. GenePOC provides an exciting, new state-of-the-art
molecular diagnostics platform to our Diagnostics portfolio. This is
a critical element of our strategy to re-position our Diagnostics
business for sustainable long-term growth. GenePOC's revogeneTM
platform is an excellent fit for our customers and strategy to offer
gastrointestinal-focused and other targeted diagnostic solutions to
meet the diverse needs of today's more complex health care system.
We welcome the GenePOC team to the Meridian family and look forward
to continuing our very good relationship with Debiopharm into
future." -Jack Kenny, Chief Executive Officer, Meridian Bioscience

About GenePOC

Founded in 2007 by Dr. Michel Bergeron, GenePOC is a company that
specializes in the development of diagnostic devices which enable the
prevention and detection of infectious diseases. The company aims to
become the market leader in the rapid microbial testing. GenePOC's
revogeneTM, a compact, automated instrument using patented, single
used cartridges based on microfluid technology, called PIEs,
leveraging PCR techniques in real time. revogeneTM is available in
the US, EU and Canadian markets. Further information:
www.genepoc-diagnostics.com

About Meridian Bioscience, Inc.

Meridian is a fully integrated life science company that develops,
manufactures, markets and distributes a broad range of innovative
diagnostic products. We are dedicated to developing and delivering
better solutions that give answers with speed, accuracy and
simplicity that are redefining the possibilities of life from
discovery to diagnosis. Through discovery and development, we provide
critical life science raw materials used in immunological and
molecular tests for human, animal, plant, and environmental
applications. Through diagnosis, we provide diagnostic solutions in
areas including gastrointestinal and upper respiratory infections and
blood lead level testing. We build relationships and provide
solutions to hospitals, reference laboratories, research centers,
veterinary testing centers, physician offices, diagnostics
manufacturers, and biotech companies in more than 70 countries around
the world.

Meridian's shares are traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market,
symbol VIVO. Meridian's website address is
www.meridianbioscience.com.

About Debiopharm

Founded in 1979, Debiopharm is an independent biopharmaceutical
company engaged in the development of a broad variety of targeted
oncology therapies and antibiotics. With an ongoing commitment to
improve patient quality of life, the company has become a reference
of excellence in drug development, drug manufacturing and digital
health. Selecting promising first or best-in-class candidates from
academic centers and start-ups, they carry out rigorous, creative
clinical development for therapies which are subsequently
commercialized by large pharmaceutical partners to maximize patient
reach.

Visit us www.debiopharm.com

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Outcome Capital served as the exclusive financial advisor for
GenePOC on this transaction

Pressekontakt:
Debiopharm Contact
Dawn Haughton
Communication Manager
dawn.haughton@debiopharm.com
p : +41 (0)21 321 01 11

GenePOC Contact
Patrice Allibert
CEO
patrice.allibert@genepooc.ca
p : +1-418-650-3535

Meridian Bioscience Contact
Eric Rasmussen
Executive Vice President, CFO
eric.rasmussen@meridianbioscience.com
+1-513-271-3700

Original-Content von: Debiopharm International SA, übermittelt durch news aktuell