Quidel company profile

Our products provide healthcare professionals with accurate and cost-effective diagnostic information at the POC. We sell our products to professionals for use in physician's offices, hospitals, clinical laboratories, and wellness screening centers. Our products are focused substantially on family health in areas such as pregnancy, infectious diseases, general health screening, oncology, bone health and autoimmune disorders.

Quidel commenced operations in 1979 and we launched our first products, dipstick-based pregnancy tests, in 1984. Our product base and technology platforms have expanded through internal development and acquisitions of other products and technologies. The current product areas are pregnancy, infectious diseases, oncology, autoimmune diseases and osteoporosis, for professional and research use. During the early 1990's, Quidel successfully embarked on a mission to build its own branded business and market franchises in the professional use markets. As a result, sales are primarily driven by our branded business under the QuickVue® brand name, and the Company enjoys excellent product recognition in its target markets.

The Company continues to increase its research and development efforts and to accelerate the rate of new product introductions. In January 2006, we launched our QuickVue® iFOB (immunochemical Fecal Occult Blood) test for the qualitative detection of blood in stool. Blood in stool is an indication of a number of gastrointestinal disorders, including colorectal cancer.

The strength of Quidel's international distribution strategy is reflected in the success of QuickVue® Rapid SP Influenza in Japan, the world's second largest flu market. We are extending the QuickVue® brand in select Asian and European markets, and will use the Japanese market as a template for penetrating additional countries with appropriate products. We sell through sales representatives for Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and, other international locations, by channeling products through distributor organizations and sales agents. We market our products in the U.S. through a network of national and regional distributors, supported by a direct sales force, and were pleased to be recognized by three of the largest U.S. medical supply distributors as "Supplier of the Year" within the last year.