Agilent Technologies Inc. (Agilent; Santa Clara, CA, USA), a bio-analytical technology solutions company, has announced an agreement to acquire Dako (Glostrup, Denmark), a global, tissue-based cancer diagnostic company, from the private equity group EQT (Sweden) for USD 2.2 billion in order to strengthen Agilent’s product line and offer patients and healthcare professionals improved cancer diagnostic tools and services.

Agilent's bio-analytical measurement business provides instruments, software, and services for the purpose of identifying and analyzing the physical and biological properties of substances and products. Similarly, Dako provides antibodies, reagents, scientific instruments, and software primarily to customers in pathology laboratories for faster and improved diagnostics for cancer patients. The acquisition aims to improve both companies’ services to create innovative medical and diagnostic solutions.

According to Bill Sullivan, president and CEO, Agilent, the partnership with Dako, which he describes as “one of the world's leading providers of cancer diagnostics tools,” will help create a broader range of solutions to fight cancer and improve patient care.

"Agilent's strategy in acquiring Dako is about strengthening the company's presence in life science and about revenue growth," added Mr. Sullivan. "Dako employs extremely talented people with specialized expertise that we highly value. Their knowledge and experience will be very important as we move forward together."

Lars Holmkvist, CEO, Dako, agrees that the acquisition will help advance each company’s technologies to provide improved diagnostics products.

"Our combined companies will have complementary strengths. Like Agilent, Dako has a long history as a leader in scientific advancement and a culture that values discovery and innovation. We believe that Agilent and Dako are a winning combination," added Mr. Holmkvist.


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