(Ad hoc press release)
Neue-Markt listed Eckert & Ziegler Strahlen- und Medizintechnik AG, a leading provider of radioactive components for medical and industrial applications, has acquired the assets and product responsibilities of the Worldwide Sources Business from DuPont Pharmaceuticals Company, Delaware (USA). The agreement, which is effective on 5 June 2000, covers a large range of radioactive industrial and nuclear medicine products and will be accompanied, after a short transition period, by the transfer of the production technology to Eckert & Ziegler's subsidiaries Isotope Products Laboratory, Inc. (California) and CESIO s.r.o. (Prague, Czech Republic). DuPont's sealed source business in 1999 had revenues of approximately 8 mm US$. Its customer base includes the large international manufacturers of sophisticated medical measurement devices.
The acquisition will make the Berlin-based isotope specialist one of the largest manufacturers for a number of radioactive components, among them nuclear medicine reference sources and standards. These items are used by hospitals around the world for the quality control of their gamma cameras and PET scanners. Eckert & Ziegler is already a leading developer of a variety of cardio-vascular radiation sources, which are used for the effective prevention of the re-narrowing of arteries after balloon dilatations. Apart from these products, Eckert & Ziegler manufactures radioactive implants and brachytherapy products for the treatment of cancer. The management of Eckert & Ziegler expects the acquisition of DuPont's Worldwide Source Business to result in substantial economies of scale and better customer service, an increase in revenues, and an improved position vis-a-vis various raw material suppliers.
The Board of Directors