BSE FÄLLE IN DEN USA: BIO RAD LABORATORIES !!! - 500 Beiträge pro Seite

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Nachdem die Aktie des amerikanischen Biotechnologieunternehmens Bio-Rad Laboratories bereits am Mittwoch zu den größten Gewinnern an der Wall Street zählte, legt das Papier auch im Handel am Freitag zu.

Das Unternehmen, das Identifikationstests für Rinderwahnsinn herstellt, profitiert von dem jüngst entdeckten Fall von Rinderwahn in den USA. Bio-Rad kontrolliert derzeit 50-60 Prozent des weltweiten Marktes für BSE-Testsysteme. Bislang hat Bio-Rad den einzigen Test, der vom U.S. Department of Agriculture genehmigt wurde.

Aaron Geist, ein Analyst von Baird, hat sein Kursziel für die Aktie von 54 auf 73 Dollar angehoben und das Rating auf Outperform von Neutral erhöht.

Aktuell gewinnt der Titel 3,0 Prozent auf 61,60 Dollar.

© finanzen.net

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Statement By Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. Regarding The Confirmed Discovery Of "Mad Cow" In The United States
HERCULES, CA, December 24, 2003 - Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (AMEX: BIO and BIOb) has received a number of inquiries regarding the diagnosis of a presumptive positive case of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy or mad cow disease) in the United States and today issued the following statement:

"The control of mad cow disease is an important issue and the USDA has taken action to identify and report this case. We understand that the USDA is moving forward to evaluate the situation.

"Bio-Rad`s BSE test is the most widely used screening method in the world. Independent studies have shown that it is the most sensitive and effective rapid screening method for detecting mad cow disease. The company is prepared to provide assistance in addressing this issue in the U.S. should the need arise."

Bio-Rad encourages anyone interested to keep up to date by consulting the USDA Web site at www.usda.gov or calling either [phone] or [phone]. General information on mad cow disease worldwide is available at www.bio-rad.com.

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (www.bio-rad.com) is a multinational manufacturer and distributor of life science research products and clinical diagnostics. It is based in Hercules, CA, and serves more than 70,000 research and industry customers worldwide through a network of more than 30 wholly owned subsidiary offices

[Heinerle2]

Ich würde noch Embrex empfehlen, machen einen auf Hühner bzw. Hühnereier - hat sicher wieder Zukunft und nebenbei verdient die Cpy auch gut Geld. Ticker EMBX.O - aber markteng

Greetinxx Heinerle2
(der schon ewig lange ein paar davon hat)

[Aomi]

Digital Angel (DOC: news, chart, profile), which sell FDA-approved microchips that are implanted in animals and can be used for tracking purposes, ran up 16 percent to $4.60.
das war gestern

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Reuters
UPDATE - USDA to adopt faster, 48-hour mad cow test
Tuesday December 30, 7:16 pm ET
By Randy Fabi


(Recasts, adds details, new throughout)
WASHINGTON, Dec 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. government will adopt a faster test to detect mad cow disease in all injured or sick cattle that arrive at slaughter plants, delivering test results within 48 hours, the U.S. Agriculture Department said on Tuesday.



A week after the discovery of the first U.S. case of mad cow disease, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said all so-called "downer" cattle -- those unable to walk because of broken bones, disease or sickness -- would be barred from the human food supply.

However, some healthy cattle are injured while being trucked to or offloaded at the slaughtering plant. Effective immediately, these animals will be tested for mad cow disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), before their carcasses can be processed into beef products,

"Inspectors will no longer mark cattle tested for BSE as `inspected and passed` until ... the animals have, in fact, tested negative for BSE," the USDA said.

The Washington dairy cow infected with the brain-wasting disease was unable to walk when she arrived for slaughter on Dec. 9, and deemed a "downer" animal by USDA.

Brain tissue was sent that day for mad cow testing, but the carcass was processed into raw beef before the initial test result was completed on Dec. 22. The delay in the test results was due in part to a backlog at the USDA`s animal disease laboratory in Ames, Iowa, according to the government.

The department this year tested more than 20,000 cattle brains for mad cow disease, and plans to nearly double that in 2004.

Anticipating an increase in mad cow testing, the USDA said it will begin using more rapid diagnostic tests. It currently uses what it calls the "gold standard" of mad cow tests, which can take up to five days to complete.

"We are talking about one of several rapid tests," said USDA Chief Veterinarian Ron DeHaven.

The new, faster tests mean results could be returned to the slaughter plant within 36 to 48 hours, he said.

"Samples would be sent by overnight express to the lab," DeHaven said. "If everything goes perfectly ... we would report results the afternoon or early evening the day after they were collected."

DeHaven did not elaborate on what rapid test product the USDA planned to adopt.

Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc. (AMEX:BIO - News) and Abbott Laboratories Inc. (NYSE:ABT - News) sell rapid diagnostic tests to Europe and Japan.

Earlier this week, a Republican aide said there was concern among some lawmakers about the faster mad cow tests because of the risk of false positives.

As recently as Monday, USDA officials said testing all estimated 150,000 downer cattle each year would do little to strengthen food safety. However, restaurant industry groups, food retailers and consumer advocates have demanded extra safeguards. (Additional reporting by Charles Abbott)

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Montag 12. Januar 2004, 15:31 Uhr
FAO fordert strengere Schutzmassnahmen gegen BSE

Rom (AP) Nach dem ersten BSE-Fall in den USA haben die Vereinten Nationen zu schärferen Kontrollen aufgerufen. Die Schutzmassnahmen der meisten Staaten reichten nicht aus, um einer Ausbreitung der Rinderseuche vorzubeugen und das Vertrauen der Verbraucher wieder herzustellen, erklärte die Welternährungsorganisation (FAO) am Montag in Rom. Strengere Testprogramme und die striktere Einhaltung vorbeugender Massnahmen seien notwendig.

In Ländern wie den USA, Kanada und Australien werde derzeit nur ein geringer Prozentsatz der mehr als 30 Monate alten Rinder auf BSE getestet, erklärte die FAO weiter. Der Anteil liege zwischen einem von 10.000 und einem von 100.000 Tieren. Stattdessen sollten künftig alle Rinder in diesem Alter getestet werden. Im US-Staat Washington war im Dezember der erste BSE-Fall des Landes entdeckt worden.

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Wissenschaftler: Bald neue BSE-Fälle?

Ein vom US-Landwirtschaftsministerium einberufenes Gremium hat heute dargelegt, dass man in den Vereinigten Staaten mit weiteren Fällen von Rinderwahnsinn rechnen müsse. Er gehe, so ein Wissenschaftler, angesichts der Erfahrungen aus Europa von möglicherweise bis zu einem neuen Fall pro Monat aus. Verhältnisse wie in England, wo rund 100 Menschen an den Folgen der Krankheit gestorben waren, stünden den USA aber nicht ins Haus.

Die Wissenschaftler empfahlen außerdem dringend, keinerlei Hirngewebe von geschlachteten Tieren mehr zu Nahrungsmitteln und Tierfutter zu verarbeiten. Wie man es ebenfalls in Europa erlebt habe, könnten rund 10 Milligramm belastetes Gewebe bereits ein ausgewachsenes Rind infizieren.

Von Seiten von Landwirtschaftsvertretern wurden die Aussagen der Kommission heute scharf angegriffen. An der Chicago Mercantile Exchange schlossen die meisten Futures für Schlachttiere limit-down.

© BörseGo

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Bio-Rad Laboratories Reports Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year Financial ...

12.02.2004
22:46



HERCULES, Calif., Feb. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (AMEX: BIO; BIOb), a multinational manufacturer and distributor of life science research products and clinical diagnostics, announced financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2003. Fourth quarter revenues were $266.2 million, up 9.5 percent compared to the $243.0 million reported for the same quarter of 2002. Full-year revenues crossed the billion-dollar mark to reach $1,003.4 million, up by 12.4 percent over 2002 results. This growth was largely due to a combination of organic growth in the Company``s two main business segments as well as currency effects.

Fourth Quarter Highlights -- Overall Company sales for the fourth quarter grew by almost 10 percent, or by just under 1 percent on a currency-neutral basis, to reach $266.2 million compared to $243.0 million reported in the fourth quarter of 2002. -- Fourth quarter basic earnings were $0.75 per share, or $0.73 per share on a diluted basis, compared to basic earnings per share of $0.64 and diluted earnings per share of $0.62 in the same period of 2002. -- On a reported basis, Life Science segment sales for the quarter were $130.2 million, or 6.6 percent higher than in the comparable period last year, while on a currency neutral basis segment sales declined by 2.1 percent for the quarter. Solid performers in this segment included the process chromatography, imaging, nucleic acid amplification, and protein array businesses, offset by price declines in the BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) business. -- The Clinical Diagnostics segment reported sales of $133.7 million for the quarter, a 12.3 percent increase compared to fourth quarter 2002 results, or 3.2 percent excluding currency effects. These results were due to growth in several areas including immunohematology, quality controls, blood virus screening, and diabetes monitoring. 2003 Highlights -- Company sales grew by 12.4 percent, or 3.7 percent on a currency-neutral basis, to $1,003.4 million compared to $892.7 million in 2002. -- Net income rose by 12.2 percent to $76.2 million, or $3.00 per share, from $67.9 million, or $2.70 per share in 2002. -- During 2003, Bio-Rad sold $225 million aggregate principal amount of 7.50% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2013 in a private offering. A portion of the proceeds from this offering were used to fund the retirement of the Company``s 11 5/8% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2007. In addition, Bio-Rad refinanced its primary credit facility through a bank syndicate to provide for a new, five-year $150 million revolving facility. 2003 income figures include one-time charges of approximately $14.6 million (or $9.8 million net of taxes) associated with the refinancing. Excluding these charges, 2003 net income rose by 26.6 percent to $85.9 million, or $3.38 per basic share. -- Full-year reported sales for the Life Science segment were $480.0 million, up 11.8 percent over the previous year``s figure, or 2.9 percent on a currency-neutral basis. Clinical Diagnostics segment sales for the year were $514.8 million, a 13.0 percent increase compared to 2002 results, or 4.5 percent excluding currency effects.

"This was a breakthrough year for Bio-Rad. Our solid performance took us past the much-coveted, billion-dollar milestone," said Norman Schwartz, President and Chief Executive Officer. "We entered the year with new management in place, introduced many new products, restructured our financing, and constructed new facilities to improve our efficiency and to accommodate our growth. These accomplishments, along with a number of other projects, provide good momentum as we enter 2004."

Management will discuss these results in a conference call at 2:00 p.m. PT (5:00 p.m. ET) February 12, 2004. Interested parties can access the call by dialing 800-299-9086 (in the U.S.), or 617-786-2903 (international), access number 90302867. The live web cast can be accessed at http://www.bio-rad.com/ . A replay of the call will be available at 888-286-8010 (in the U.S.), or 617-801-6888 (international), access number 17206610, for seven days following the call and the web cast can be accessed at http://www.bio-rad.com/ for 30 days.

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. is a multinational manufacturer and distributor of life science research products and clinical diagnostics. It is based in Hercules, California, and serves more than 70,000 research and industry customers worldwide through a network of more than 30 wholly owned subsidiary offices.

Various statements made within this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" for purposes of the Securities and Exchange Commission``s "safe harbor" provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The forward-looking statements contained herein involve risks and uncertainties that could cause results to differ materially from the Company``s expectations.

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2003 Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income (In thousands, except per share data) (UNAUDITED) Three Months Ended Twelve Months Ended December 31, December 31, 2003 2002 2003 2002 Net Sales $266,202 $243,000 $1,003,382 $892,720 Cost of Goods Sold 117,350 106,155 437,990 383,235 Gross Profit 148,852 136,845 565,392 509,485 Selling, General and Administrative Expense 88,819 80,538 325,360 289,175 Product Research and Development Expense 26,377 22,900 94,270 82,935 Interest Expense 4,772 9,810 31,006 28,207 Foreign Exchange Losses, net 1,242 (95) 4,080 5,441 Other (Income) Expense, net (1,001) (1,295) (3,012) (678) Income Before Taxes 28,643 24,987 113,688 104,405 Provision for income taxes (9,452) (8,746) (37,517) (36,542) Net Income $19,191 $16,241 $76,171 $67,863 Basic earnings per share $0.75 $0.64 $3.00 $2.70 Weighted average common shares 25,524 25,224 25,416 25,104 Diluted earnings per share $0.73 $0.62 $2.90 $2.61 Adjusted weighted average shares 26,405 26,109 26,310 26,021 Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. Summary Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (In thousands) (UNAUDITED) At December 31, 2003 2002 Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $148,642 $27,733 Accounts receivable, net 234,085 209,282 Inventories, net 190,258 166,372 Prepaid expenses, taxes and other current assets 97,893 63,227 Total current assets 670,878 466,614 Net property, plant and equipment 179,123 142,235 Goodwill, net 69,503 69,519 Other assets 67,354 42,335 Total assets $986,858 $720,703 Current liabilities: Notes payable and current maturities of long-term debt $10,423 $7,486 Accounts payable 53,995 50,233 Accrued payroll and employee benefits 71,650 62,800 Sales, income and other taxes payable 20,833 17,019 Other current liabilities 77,425 71,392 Total current liabilities 234,326 208,930 Long-term debt, net of current maturities 225,835 105,768 Deferred tax liabilities 13,991 9,839 Other long-term liabilities 16,899 13,079 Stockholders`` equity 495,807 383,087 Total liabilities and stockholders`` equity $986,858 $720,703 Certain items have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation. Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. Summary Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows (In thousands) (UNAUDITED) Year Ended December 31, 2003 2002 Cash flows from operating activities: Cash received from customers $1,020,135 $885,835 Cash paid to suppliers and employees (826,055) (711,341) Interest paid (17,088) (25,832) Income tax payments (51,280) (43,939) Miscellaneous receipts 1,928 112 Net cash provided by operating activities 127,640 104,835 Cash flows from investing activities: Capital expenditures, net (69,003) (42,224) Other investing activities (37,991) (12,232) Net cash used in investing activities (106,994) (54,456) Cash flows from financing activities: Long-term borrowings 249,335 44,025 Payments on long-term debt (132,012) (133,517) Other financing activities (9,154) 11,288 Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities 108,169 (78,204) Effect of exchange rate changes on cash (7,906) 8,429 Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 120,909 (19,396) Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year 27,733 47,129 Cash and cash equivalents at end of year $148,642 $27,733 Reconciliation of net income to net cash provided by operating activities: Net Income $76,171 $67,863 Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: Depreciation and amortization 42,009 38,033 Foreign currency hedge transactions, net 14,998 2,270 Loss on sale of spectroscopy business and write-down of investments 0 5,007 Debt retirement costs on 11-5/8% bonds 9,467 0 Changes in working capital and other (15,005) (8,338) Net cash provided by operating activities $127,640 $104,835

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.

© PR Newswire

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Canada`s Largest Beef Producing Province Selects Bio-Rad Rapid ...
14.02.2004
01:22


HERCULES, Calif., Feb. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (AMEX: BIO; BIO.B), a multinational manufacturer and distributor of life science research products and clinical diagnostics, announced today that the Province of Alberta in Canada has chosen Bio-Rad``s automated TeSeE(R) test for use in its enhanced BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) surveillance program. The largest beef producing and finishing province in Canada, Alberta``s federally regulated beef industry processed 2.1 million head of cattle, or 68 percent of the Canadian total, in 2003.

"We look forward to supporting Alberta in its BSE surveillance program," said Brad Crutchfield, Bio-Rad``s Vice President of Life Science. "With our experience working with more than 500 labs in 25 countries faced with the discovery of BSE, we stand ready to assist Alberta``s government in the development of a world class animal disease and food safety surveillance system."

With the announcement of the selection of Bio-Rad as a testing partner, the Alberta government noted that Bio-Rad``s automated TSE (Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy) tests for BSE in cattle, Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in deer and elk and Scrapie in sheep and goats are all internationally recognized by the Office International Des Epizooties (OIE). Alberta has a mandatory CWD testing policy for all farmed cervids (elk and deer), and performed more than 10,000 CWD tests in 2003.

Bio-Rad``s TeSeE(R) test kit runs on an automated robotics platform that speeds sample preparation, enabling laboratories to provide faster results. The testing platform can process up to 1,000 samples in an eight-hour time period, provides the highest level of sensitivity in a BSE screening method and will produce results in just four hours. Bio-Rad``s BSE test is the most widely used test in the world.

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (http://www.bio-rad.com/) is a multinational manufacturer and distributor of life science research products and clinical diagnostics. It is based in Hercules, California, and serves more than 70,000 research and industry customers worldwide through a network of more than 30 wholly owned subsidiary offices.

Various statements made within this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" for purposes of the Securities and Exchange Commission``s "safe harbor" provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The forward-looking statements contained herein involve risks and uncertainties that could cause results to differ materially from the Company``s expectations.

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.

© PR Newswire

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Bio-Rad Laboratories "outperform"

Tuesday, March 16, 2004 9:15:29 AM ET
Robert W. Baird

NEW YORK, March 16 (New Ratings) - Analysts at Robert W Baird maintain their "outperform" rating on Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc (BIO). The target price is set to $73.

In a research note published this morning, the analysts mention that the USDA intends to significantly increase BSE-surveillance testing. The test offered by Bio-Rad Laboratories is likely to be selected for this purpose, the analysts say. This 12-18 month programme would add $0.04-$0.05 to the company’s annual EPS, Robert W Baird believes.

© 2004 New Ratings

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Bio-Rad Laboratories gibt bekannt, dass der TeSe Schnelltest für die Detektion von Rinderwahnsinn vom US-Landwirtschaftsministerium zum Einsatz in Labors der Veterinärmedizin zugelassen wurde. Der Test werde in den nächsten 12 bis 18 Monaten zum Testen von 400,000 Tieren verwendet werden. Nach Europa und Japan lieferte Bio-Rad bereits 22 Millionen solche Tests aus.

© BörseGo