Dade Behring and Roche Grant HIV-1 Group O Rights to DiaSorin

  
    
  
  
    
      Dade Behring Inc. (NASDAQ:DADE) and Roche Diagnostics announced today 
      that they have granted DiaSorin certain rights related to the 
      development, marketing and manufacturing of immunoassays that can be 
      used for the detection of HIV(human immunodeficiency virus)-1 group O.
    
    
      HIV tests are used to screen patients and also blood donations for HIV 
      infections. By adding the capability of detecting HIV-1 group O to HIV 
      tests, a laboratory can offer more sensitive testing that diagnoses a 
      wider range of HIV infections, therefore reducing the likelihood for a 
      patient to be misdiagnosed or a blood donation to be inaccurately 
      screened for HIV.
    
    
      "We are committed to broadening the availability of more sensitive HIV 
      tests used for this global epidemic, which remains the fourth leading 
      cause of death," said Jim Reid-Anderson, Chairman, President and CEO, 
      Dade Behring. "This agreement enables us to share rights with another 
      company and help them further provide better patient care that's 
      accessible to health care providers worldwide."
    
    
      “This sublicense granted by Dade Behring and 
      Roche Diagnostics, coupled with our expertise of being a pure play 
      global immunodiagnostics company with competitive flagship technology, 
      will allow us to accelerate the development of more reliable tests for 
      HIV and support scientists in targeting this overwhelming disease more 
      effectively,” said Carlo Rosa, CEO and General 
      Manager, DiaSorin.
    
    
      About HIV and AIDS
    
    
      At the end of 2006, an estimated 40 million people were living with HIV 
      or AIDS worldwide1. Acquired Immune Deficiency 
      Syndrome (AIDS) was first reported in the early 1980's and has since 
      become a major worldwide epidemic. AIDS is caused by the human 
      immunodeficiency virus (HIV). More than 25 million people have died of 
      AIDS since 19811, making it the fourth leading 
      cause of death worldwide2. By damaging cells of 
      the immune system, HIV progressively destroys the body's ability to 
      fight infections. Individuals diagnosed with AIDS are susceptible to 
      life-threatening diseases called opportunistic infections, which are 
      caused by microbes that usually do not cause illness in people with 
      healthy immune systems.
    
    
      There have been two major types of HIV identified, HIV-1 and HIV-2. 
      HIV-1 is the most predominant of the two, and includes three categories 
      including group M (main group), group O (for outlier) and group N (for 
      non-M, non-O).
    
    
      About Dade Behring
    
    
      With 2006 revenue of more than $1.7 billion, Dade Behring is the world's 
      largest company solely dedicated to clinical diagnostics. It offers a 
      wide range of products, systems and services designed to meet the 
      day-to-day needs of clinical laboratories, delivering innovative 
      solutions to customers and enhancing the quality of life for patients. 
      Additional company information is available on the Internet at www.dadebehring.com.
    
    
      References
    
    
      1. Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and World Health 
      Organization (WHO), December 2006 AIDS Epidemic Update.
    
    
      2. The Global Fund Web site, http://theglobalfund.org/en/about/aids 
      (accessed April 23, 2007).
    
    
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