Broadens Ventana's Presence in Histology Market

    TUCSON, Ariz., Sept. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Ventana Medical Systems, Inc.
(Nasdaq: VMSI) today announced its intention to acquire all of the outstanding
stock of Biotechnology Tools, Inc., another Tucson-based company doing
business as RMC.  With about $5.4 million in annual sales for fiscal 1998, RMC
offers Ventana a strategic second point of entry in the histology market.
Ventana recently signed a definitive agreement to acquire all of the
outstanding equity of RMC for approximately $5 million in cash, and expects to
close the transaction by early October 1998.
    "The acquisition of RMC broadens our product offering and creates numerous
cross selling opportunities to our core histology market," commented Hank
Pietraszek, Ventana's President and CEO.
    "RMC's tissue processor and line of rotary microtomes complement our
existing line of immunohistochemistry (IHC) and special stain (SS) slide
stainers," added Pietraszek.  "In fact, RMC's products will enable our
customers to better control the tissue preparation process which precedes the
use of our IHC and SS instruments and impacts the quality of staining on these
instruments."
    Ventana's Chief Financial officer, Pierre Sice, commented that the
transaction would be accounted for as a purchase with RMC's revenues and
profits being first reported in Ventana's fourth quarter consolidated
financial results.  "Given RMC's profitability and potential synergies in
combining the activities of the two companies, we expect the acquisition to be
accretive to earnings in 1999," added Sice.
    Safe Harbor Statement:  Statements in this press release which are not
strictly historical are "forward-looking" statements that are made pursuant to
the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995.  Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, which may
cause the company's actual results in the future to differ materially from
expected results.  The risks and uncertainties that may affect the results of
the company's business are described in the company's specific filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission.
    Ventana develops, manufactures and markets proprietary instrument/reagent
systems that automate immunohistochemistry ("IHC") and in situ hybridization
("ISH") tests for the analysis of cells and tissues on microscope slides.
These tests are important tools used in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Link to this page: