| Type | Naamloze vennootschap |
|---|---|
| Traded as | NASDAQ: QGEN, FWB: QIA |
| Industry | Biotechnology |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Headquarters | Venlo, Netherlands (corporate); Hilden, Germany (operational) |
| Key people | Peer Schatz (CEO and chairman of the executive board), Detlev Riesner (Chairman of the supervisory board) |
| Revenue | US $1.087 billion (2010)[1] |
| Operating income | US $188.5 million (2010)[1] |
| Profit | US $144.3 million (2010)[1] |
| Total assets | US $3.914 billion (end 2010)[1] |
| Total equity | US $2.476 billion (end 2010)[1] |
| Employees | 3,590 (end 2010)[1] |
| Website | www.qiagen.com |
Qiagen is a provider of sample and assay technologies for molecular diagnostics, applied testing, academic and pharmaceutical research. Consolidated under the Dutch holding Qiagen N.V., the company operates more than 30 subsidiaries in over 18 countries. Qiagen’s shares are listed at the technology-focused U.S. stock exchange Nasdaq (using ticker QGEN) and at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in the Prime Standard (using ticker QIA). Peer M. Schatz is the company’s Chief Executive Officer. The main headquarters are located in Hilden, Germany (near Düsseldorf).
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Until the mid-2000s, the company was mainly a provider of sample technologies for the academic research market. Today, Qiagen’s product portfolio includes sample and assay technologies along with specific automation solutions for these technologies in the following markets: molecular diagnostics, applied testing, academic and pharmaceutical research. Qiagen’s products are used for processing of biological samples and targeted detection of genetic material.
Qiagen provides molecular assay technologies offered as kits with open or specific target analytes. The kits usually contain all or most of the components needed for sample preparation up to the subsequent analysis. Overall, the company’s current portfolio covers more than 500 products. Qiagen also holds more than 1,000 patents.
Qiagen products are commonly used in molecular biology laboratories.
Qiagen assay products are used in hospitals and medical laboratories to identify diseases or infections based on their genetic footprints and to develop adequate therapies. Qiagen’s test for human papilloma virus - the result of the acquisition of the U.S. based company Digene Corp. in 2007 - is the only HPV test that is both approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and CE-marked. In addition to the HPV test, Qiagen markets approximately 120 additional tests for the detection of viruses, bacteria, parasites and genetic or pharmacogenetic attributes.
Qiagen products for sample and assay applications are also used in the applied testing market, i.e., veterinary medicine, forensics or food testing. For veterinary medicine, the company offers assays and components for the detection of Avian flu viruses (H5N1) and further pathogens.
Qiagen was established on November 29, 1984 by a team of scientists at the University of Düsseldorf. The company started with the development of new methods for the purification of nucleic acids as the carrier of genetic information. The founding team quickly recognized that those methods could be used in virtually all areas of genetic analysis. In fact, the separation and purification of various molecules like DNA, RNA or proteins from other cellular components is the basic precondition for any further application.
With the launch of Qiagen’s first product in 1986 the time required for the preparation of plasmids (small circular DNA produced in prokaryotic cells) dropped from two to three days down to two hours. The product was distributed as a kit which contained all components needed for the successful sample preparation prior to subsequent analysis.
The initial public offering of Qiagen at the technology-oriented Nasdaq stock exchange as the first German company took place in 1996. The initial public offering at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (Germany) followed in 1997.
Based upon the core business with products for academic and industrial research, the company then continuously expanded its portfolio. Under the leadership of Peer M. Schatz, Qiagen broadened the strategic focus on sample and assay technologies in the molecular diagnostics, applied testing, academic research and pharmaceutical markets. Sales grew up to US$649.8 million in 2007, the number of employees exceeded 2,600. In 2007, Qiagen acquired Digene for US$1.6 billion. In November 2011, the company announced plans to cut between 8 percent and 10 percent of its global workforce of now about 3,800[2].
Qiagen has a holding structure. The holding (Qiagen N.V.) is located in Venlo, The Netherlands. The operative and European headquarters are located in Hilden (Germany). Further regional headquarters are located in Maryland (for North America) and Shanghai (for Asia).
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