Roche Plans to Complete Ventana Offer on Fe...( BASEL Switzerland Jan. 31 /- Roch...),Health

BASEL, Switzerland, Jan. 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Roche (SWX: ROG.VX; RO.S; OTCQX; RHHBY) announced today that based on its review to date of known applicable antitrust laws, it is not aware of any such law that would prohibit its acceptance for payment of shares tendered pursuant to its outstanding Offer to Purchase shares of Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: VMSI). Accordingly, subject to satisfaction or waiver of the other conditions of the Offer, Roche intends to accept for payment Ventana shares tendered pursuant to the Offer at the scheduled expiration (7:00 p.m. EST on February 7, 2008), and to commence payment for those shares promptly.

Greenhill & Co. and Citi acted as financial advisors to Roche and Davis Polk & Wardwell acted as legal counsel.

About Roche

Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world's leading research-focused healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. As the world's biggest biotech company and an innovator of products and services for the early detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts to improving people's health and quality of life. Roche is the world leader in in-vitro diagnostics and drugs for cancer and transplantation, a market leader in virology and active in other major therapeutic areas such as autoimmune diseases, inflammation, metabolism and central nervous system. In 2006 sales by the Pharmaceuticals Division totaled CHF 33.3 billion, and the Diagnostics Division posted sales of CHF 8.7 billion. Roche employs roughly 75,000 people worldwide and has R&D agreements and strategic alliances with numerous partners, including majority ownership interests in Genentech
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