Swiss drug maker Roche Holding AG (ROG.VX) said Monday it has signed a definite agreement under which Roche will acquire 100% of innovatis, a privately held company based in Bielefeld, Germany.

The purchase price for this transaction is EUR15 million.

Innovatis is a leading provider of automated cell analysis solutions, especially focussing on cell counting, viability testing, and cell function analysis in research, as well as bioproduction.

"This acquisition is a further step in our strategy to strengthen our position as a complete solution provider in the cell analysis research market," said Juergen Schwiezer, CEO Division Roche Diagnostics.

"Innovatis' technology will complement the existing Roche cell analysis portfolio and is synergistic to the xCELLigence technology launched in 2008."

Company Web site: www.roche.com

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