Quidel Provides Business Update at 13th Annual Piper Sandler Med-Tech and Diagnostic California Bus Tour; Another SARS Antigen Entrant Does Not Change Quidel’s Strategy

Quidel Corporation, an industry leader in the introduction of FDA-authorized rapid tests for a wide range of diseases and medical conditions, remains in the forefront of the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abbott’s entry into the SARS antigen testing market was fully anticipated, as was the potential scale of visually read lateral flow assays. The assay performance described in the package insert is unsurprising as well and is very encouraging as it further validates the utility of rapid immunoassay technology in addressing the critical testing needs of our nation. The suggestion of lower product pricing was also expected, given how the Alere BinaxNOW Influenza A+B Card had been previously priced relative to other rapid influenza products, including Sofia Influenza A+B, the premier product and market leader in rapid influenza testing.

Quidel’s Sofia has an installed base of over 50,000 Sofia instruments in the United States. The Sofia system has features that customers find attractive, such as an objectively read result, internal controls that ensure testing accuracy, and the Virena® data management system, which provides aggregated, de-identified testing data in near real-time to thousands of hospital systems, urgent care networks and public health officials. These differentiating features are valuable to customers and help to explain the price difference between Sofia assays -- like Influenza A+B, Strep A and RSV – and visually read products.

“Another SARS Antigen product from a high-quality company with scale like Abbott is welcome. The validity of rapid antigen testing has been questioned by some, including state public health officials, and together with Abbott, BD and perhaps others, we can begin to change this mindset and to expand the utility and demand for this technology,” said Douglas Bryant, president and CEO Quidel Corporation. “Another entrant into the segment doesn’t change our plans to develop or manufacture any of the products in our pipeline, doesn’t change our marketing plans, and has no impact on our financial forecast at this time.”

Quidel’s new product development engine is what has historically fueled its growth. Quidel plans to introduce a Sofia Flu + COVID Antigen combination assay, a Sofia Serology assay, and a Solana molecular SARS assay in September. Quidel is also developing SARS and SARS combination assays in its QuickVue format.

Quidel to Present Today at 13th Annual Piper Sandler Med-Tech and Diagnostics California Bus Tour

Douglas Bryant, president and chief executive officer, and Randy Steward, chief financial officer, will present today at 3:00 p.m. Eastern time (12:00 p.m. Pacific time) with a question and answer session scheduled immediately following the presentation. During the presentation, the company will discuss business and financial developments and trends. The company’s statements may contain or constitute material information that has not been previously disclosed.

A live webcast and audio archive of each presentation will be available via the Investor Relations section of the company’s website at http://ir.quidel.com or by clicking on the link below:

https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/2470021/02FE2E0F9F708F783AFABC0E56013B47

Participants should allow approximately five to ten minutes prior to the presentation’s start time to visit the site and download any streaming media software needed to listen to the Internet webcast. A replay of the webcast will also be available on the company’s website for 14 days.

About Quidel Corporation

Quidel Corporation serves to enhance the health and well-being of people around the globe through the development of diagnostic solutions that can lead to improved patient outcomes and provide economic benefits to the healthcare system. Marketed under the Sofia®, QuickVue®, D3® Direct Detection, Thyretain®, Triage® and InflammaDry® leading brand names, as well as under the new Solana®, AmpliVue® and Lyra® molecular diagnostic brands, Quidel’s products aid in the detection and diagnosis of many critical diseases and conditions, including, among others, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, Strep A, lyme, herpes, pregnancy, thyroid disease and fecal occult blood. Quidel’s Triage® system of tests comprises a comprehensive test menu that provides rapid, cost-effective treatment decisions at the point-of-care (POC), offering a diverse immunoassay menu in a variety of tests to provide diagnostic answers for quantitative BNP, CK-MB, d-dimer, myoglobin, troponin I and qualitative TOX Drug Screen. Quidel’s research and development engine is also developing a continuum of diagnostic solutions from advanced immunoassay to molecular diagnostic tests to further improve the quality of healthcare in physicians’ offices and hospital and reference laboratories. For more information about Quidel’s comprehensive product portfolio and to explore exciting employment opportunities, visit quidel.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws that involve material risks, assumptions and uncertainties. Many possible events or factors could affect our future financial results and performance, such that our actual results and performance may differ materially from those that may be described or implied in the forward-looking statements. As such, no forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Differences in actual results and performance may arise as a result of a number of factors including, without limitation: the impact of the novel virus (COVID-19) global pandemic; an inability to agree on a definitive agreement or meet key deliverables and milestones under the NIH’s RADx-ATP contract; adverse changes in competitive conditions, the reimbursement system currently in place and future changes to that system, changes in economic conditions in our domestic and international markets, lower than anticipated market penetration of our products, our reliance on sales of our influenza and COVID-19 diagnostic tests, fluctuations in our operating results resulting from the timing of the onset, length and severity of cold and flu seasons, seasonality, government and media attention focused on influenza and other respiratory or novel viruses and the related potential impact on humans from such viruses, the quantity of our product in our distributors’ inventory or distribution channels, changes in the buying patterns of our distributors, and changes in the healthcare market and consolidation of our customer base; our development, acquisition and protection of proprietary technology rights; our development of new technologies, products and markets; our reliance on a limited number of key distributors; our exposure to claims and litigation that could result in significant expenses and could ultimately result in an unfavorable outcome for us, including the ongoing litigation between us and Beckman Coulter, Inc.; intellectual property risks, including but not limited to, infringement litigation; our need for additional funds to finance our capital or operating needs; the financial soundness of our customers and suppliers; acceptance of our products among physicians and other healthcare providers; competition with other providers of diagnostic products; failures or delays in receipt of new product reviews or related to currently-marketed products by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) or other regulatory authorities or loss of any previously received regulatory approvals or clearances or other adverse actions by regulatory authorities; changes in government policies; costs of and adverse operational impact from failure to comply with government regulations in addition to FDA regulations; compliance with government regulations relating to the handling, storage and disposal of hazardous substances; third-party reimbursement policies and potential cost constraints; our failure to comply with laws and regulations relating to billing and payment for healthcare services; our ability to meet demand for our products; interruptions or shortages in our supply of raw materials and other components; product defects; business risks not covered by insurance; costs and disruptions from failures in our information technology and storage systems; our exposure to data corruption, cyber-based attacks, security breaches and privacy violations; competition for and loss of management and key personnel; international risks, including but not limited to, compliance with product registration requirements, compliance with legal requirements, tariffs, exposure to currency exchange fluctuations and foreign currency exchange risk, longer payment cycles, lower selling prices and greater difficulty in collecting accounts receivable, reduced protection of intellectual property rights, social, political and economic instability, increased financial accounting and reporting burdens and complexities, taxes, and diversion of lower priced international products into U.S. markets; changes in tax rates and exposure to additional tax liabilities or assessments; risks relating to our acquisition and integration of the Triage MeterPro Cardiovascular and toxicology business and B-type Natriuretic Peptide assay business; that we may have to write off goodwill relating to our acquisitions; our ability to manage our growth strategy and identify and integrate acquired companies or technologies and our ability to obtain financing; the level of our indebtedness and deferred payment obligations; our ability to generate sufficient cash to meet our debt service and deferred and contingent payment obligations; that our Revolving Credit Facility is secured by substantially all of our assets; the agreements for our indebtedness place operating and financial restrictions on us and our ability to operate our business; that an event of default could trigger acceleration of our outstanding indebtedness; that we may incur additional indebtedness; increases in interest rate relating to our variable rate debt; dilution resulting from future sales of our equity; volatility in our stock price; provisions in our charter documents, Delaware law and the indenture governing our Convertible Senior Notes that might delay or impede stockholder actions with respect to business combinations or similar transactions; our intention of not paying dividends; and our ability to identify and successfully acquire and integrate potential acquisition targets. Forward-looking statements typically are identified by the use of terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “might,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “plan,” “intend,” “goal,” “project,” “strategy,” “future,” and similar words, although some forward-looking statements are expressed differently. The risks described in reports and registration statements that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) from time to time, should be carefully considered. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect management’s analysis only as of the date of this press release. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to publicly release the results of any revision or update of these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200827005663/en/