Gen-Probe Reports Strong Financial Results for Third Quarter 2008, Raises Full-Year EP...(per share). In this press release all...),Health

In this press release, all per share amounts are calculated on a fully diluted basis, and all results are presented on a U.S. GAAP basis. Some totals may not foot due to rounding.

Detailed Results

Gen-Probe's clinical diagnostics sales in the third quarter of 2008 benefited from continued growth of the APTIMA Combo 2(R) assay, an amplified nucleic acid test (NAT) for simultaneously detecting Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC). Sales of this assay increased based on market share gains on both the Company's semi-automated instrument platform and on the high-throughput, fully automated TIGRIS(R) system. Revenue from the PACE(R) product line, the Company's non-amplified tests for the same microorganisms, declined in the third quarter compared to the prior year period, in line with Gen-Probe's expectations.

In blood screening, product sales in the third quarter of 2008 benefited from increased international and domestic sales of the PROCLEIX(R) ULTRIO(R) assay, and from approximately $1.8 million of foreign exchange benefit compared to the prior year. Chiron, a business unit of Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, markets the Company's blood screening products worldwide.

Product sales were, in millions:

Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended

Sept. 30, Sept. 30,

2008 2007 Increase 2008 2007 Increase

Clinical diagnostics $55.5 $51.8* 7% $165.2 $149.5 11%

Blood screening $52.7 $45.6 16% $158.2 $129.0 23%

Total product sales $108.3 $97.4 11% $323.5 $278.5 16%

* As previously disclosed, clinical diagnostics sales in the third quarter

of 2007 included approximately $3 million of one-time, incremental

instrument sales. Excluding these sales from the prior year period,

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