SAN DIEGO, Nov. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- President George W. Bush has named Gen-Probe Incorporated a 2004 National Medal of Technology Laureate in recognition of the Company’s pioneering work in developing innovative nucleic acid tests to safeguard the nation’s donated blood supply from viruses such as HIV-1 and the hepatitis C virus.
The National Medal of Technology is the nation’s highest honor for technological innovation. According to the White House, it is awarded to individuals and companies who “embody the spirit of American innovation and who have advanced the nation’s global competitiveness.” Gen-Probe was one of seven recipients of the 2004 award, which was established by Congress in 1980 and is administered by the Department of Commerce. For more information on the National Medal of Technology, go to www.technology.gov/medal.
A statement issued by the Department of Commerce recognizes Gen-Probe “for the development and commercialization of new blood testing technologies and systems for the direct detection of viral diseases.” In the statement, U.S. secretary of commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez said, “I join President Bush in congratulating the 2004 National Medal of Technology laureates. Their creativity and willingness to take risks to achieve technological breakthroughs have helped make America the leader in innovation.”
“We are honored to receive this prestigious award for innovation in protecting the donated blood supply,” said Henry L. Nordhoff, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Gen-Probe. “I would like to thank the hundreds of Gen-Probe employees whose talents, expertise and extraordinary efforts made this recognition possible. We also received support from many external collaborators, including the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, our blood bank customers, Chiron Corporation, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.”
About Gen-Probe
Gen-Probe Incorporated is a global leader in the development, manufacture and marketing of rapid, accurate and cost-effective nucleic acid tests (NATs) that are used primarily to diagnose human diseases and screen donated human blood. Gen-Probe markets a broad portfolio of products that use the Company’s patented technologies to detect infectious microorganisms, including those causing sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis, strep throat, pneumonia and fungal infections. The Company also developed and manufactures the only FDA-approved blood screening assay for the simultaneous detection of HIV-1 and HCV, which is marketed by Chiron Corporation. In addition, Gen-Probe’s TIGRIS instrument is the only fully automated, high-throughput NAT system for diagnostics and blood screening. Gen-Probe has more than 20 years of NAT expertise, and its products are used daily in clinical laboratories and blood collection centers worldwide. Gen-Probe is headquartered in San Diego and employs approximately 900 people. For more information, go to www.gen-probe.com.
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Any statements in this press release about our expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance, are not historical facts and are forward-looking statements. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as “believe,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” and “would.” For example, statements concerning Gen-Probe’s financial condition, possible or expected future results of operations, regulatory approvals, growth opportunities, and plans and objectives of management are all forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. They involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions that may cause actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statement. Some of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from estimates or projections contained in the forward-looking statements include but are not limited to: (i) the possibility that the market for the sale of our new products may not develop as expected, (ii) the enhancement of existing products and the development of new products may not proceed as planned, (iii) the risk that our new products may not be approved by regulatory authorities and commercially available in the time frames we anticipate, or at all, (iv) we may not be able to compete effectively, (v) we may not be able to maintain our current corporate collaborations and enter into new corporate collaborations or customer contracts, (vi) we are dependent on Chiron and other third parties for the distribution of some of our products, (vii) we are dependent on a small number of customers, contract manufacturers and single source suppliers of raw materials, (viii) changes in third-party reimbursement policies regarding our products could adversely affect sales of our products, and (ix) the risk that our intellectual property may be infringed by third parties or invalidated. The foregoing list sets forth some, but not all, of the factors that could affect our ability to achieve results described in any forward-looking statements. For additional information about risks and uncertainties we face and a discussion of our financial statements and footnotes, see documents we file with the SEC, including our most recent annual report on Form 10-K and all subsequent periodic reports. We assume no obligation and expressly disclaim any duty to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news release or to reflect the occurrence of subsequent events.
Contact: Michael Watts Sr. director, investor relations and corporate communications 858-410-8673
Gen-Probe Incorporated
CONTACT: Michael Watts, Sr. director, investor relations and corporatecommunications of Gen-Probe Incorporated, +1-858-410-8673
