This one is about diagnostics. Roche is agreeing to pay $600 million to add a new technology that provokes human cells to produce light, a process that has a range of uses in research for human and veterinary medicine,

The price is rich. At $21.50 a share, Roche is paying more than 50 percent of what BioVeris stock closed at yesterday. And BioVerix hasn’t posted a profit since going public two years ago. But by scooping up the Maryland company, Roche also removes a headache. Earlier this year, BioVeris reported a dispute with the Swiss drugmaker over licensing fees.

“With this acquisition we have full rights to the patent. It enables us to secure business and, more important, get into new fields,” says Severin Schwan, Roche Diagnostics’ ceo. “The field we were in was routine testing. We would have offered our test in a hospital, but if the same hospital wanted to do a clinical trial, we could not sell our tests for such a clinical trial.”

Two days ago, Roche said it would spend $56 million for Therapeutic Human Polyclonals, which gives the drugmaker access to transgenic, rabbit-based animal platforms for creating monoclonal and polyclonal human antibodies. And last Thursday, the drugmaker agreed to pay $145 million for CuraGen’s 454 Life Sciences unit in order to gain its DNA-mapping technology. The companyh’s can read how genetic sequences are organized on a single strand of DNA.

Such deals are nothing new nor are they unexpected. Like many other big drugmakers, Roche has a modest pipeline of new meds and needs to bulk up. And ceo Franz Humer wants to continue to leverage the company’s standing in diagnostics as science creeps ever closer to the age of personalized medicine. Look for more deals.

Further reading…
Reuters on today’s deal;
Roche buys BioVeris;
Roche buys Therapeutic Human Polyclonals;
Roche buys 454 Life Sciences.[tags]454 Life Sciences, BioVeris, CuraGen, Roche, Therapeutic Human Polyclonals[/tags]