bioMerieux announced today the acquisition of the rapid testmanufacturer, Meikang Biotech, and its large production site in Shanghai. Thisimportant milestone will reinforce bioMerieux’s position in the Point of Careand rapid test markets for both emerging and developed countries. Theacquisition highlights bioMerieux’s continued business expansion infast-growing emerging markets, giving the company fully-owned, integratedmanufacturing and R&D capabilities in China. “With this acquisition, we are gaining a strategic foothold in China, thecountry that should drive the most growth in the next 10 years, andsignificant assets to enhance our product offering for Point of Care, asegment with a double digit annual growth rate. We are now poised to become amajor player in Point of Care with manual rapid tests including the QuickVuerange and the automated handheld device from our Philips partnership announcedlast week,” said Stephane Bancel, bioMerieux Chief Executive Officer. “Thisalso represents a significant step in the globalization of our company:bioMerieux will now have leaders based in three corporate hubs, in Marcyl’Etoile, France, Cambridge, USA and Shanghai, China.”