Spain’s Grifols SA to buy Hologic's stake in blood screening JV for $1.85 bn

Blood plasma-based products maker Grifols is acquiring diagnostic and medical imaging systems Hologic's stake in blood screening JV for $1.85 bn.

Grifols will finance the deal with $1.7-billion term loan fully underwritten by Nomura and its existing cash at hand to acquire Hologic's stake in NAT (nucleic acid testing) donor screening JV, including research, development and manufacture of assays and instruments activities using NAT technology that makes possible to detect the presence of infectious agents in blood and plasma donations.

Grifols used to market the assays and instruments worldwide.

The assets being acquired comprise a production plant in San Diego, California, as well as development rights, licenses to patents and access to product manufacturers.

Grifols, based in Barcelona, said that the transaction is part of its growth strategy envisaged for the Diagnostic Division and enables it to strengthen its leading position in transfusion medicine through NAT technology, the manufacture of antigens for immunoassay and the supply of blood-typing products.

"This acquisition is part of the growth strategy foreseen for the Diagnostic Division. It is an obvious step that allows us to strengthen a leading position that we first achieved in 2014 in transfusion diagnostics with the acquisition of assets from Novartis, which, among other things, included the rights to market transfusion medicine assays and instruments using NAT technology,'' said, Victor Grífols Sr, chairman and CEO of Grifols.

''The transaction enabled us to enhance our capabilities to be one of the only companies capable of offering comprehensive solutions to blood and plasma donation centers, from donation to transfusion. Now, with this new transaction, we have contributed our vertical integration process as we also have control over the production and R&D phases," he added.