DJ HUGIN NEWS/QIAGEN Reports Strong Third Quarter 2008 Results

DJ HUGIN NEWS/QIAGEN Reports Strong Third Quarter 2008 Results

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  * 31% Revenue Growth, 14% Organic Growth
  * 53% Adjusted Operating Income Growth
  * $0.21 Adjusted EPS 

Venlo, The  Netherlands, November  10, 2008  - QIAGEN  N.V.  (Nasdaq:
QGEN; Frankfurt, Prime Standard: QIA) today announced the results  of
operations for  the third  quarter and  the nine-month  period  ended
September 30, 2008. 

The reported  net  sales for  the  third quarter  2008  and  adjusted
earnings per share exceeded the  guidance provided by the Company  on
August 5, 2008. 

Third Quarter and Nine-Month Period 2008 Results 

The Company  reported  that  consolidated net  sales  for  its  third
quarter 2008 increased 31% to $230.8 million from $176.6 million  for
the same quarter in 2007. In  the three month period ended  September
30, 2008, the Company reported  operating income of $38.2 million  as
compared to an operating loss of $1.7 million in the third quarter of
2007, and reported net income for the third quarter of 2008 of  $20.8
million, as  compared to  a net  loss  of $7.3  million in  the  same
quarter of 2007.  Diluted earnings  per share for  the third  quarter
increased to $0.10 in 2008 from a loss of $0.04 per share in the same
quarter of 2007. 

On an adjusted basis, third quarter operating income increased 53% to
$66.8 million  in 2008  from  $43.7 million  in 2007,  third  quarter
adjusted net income increased 36% to $42.4 million in 2008 from $31.1
million in 2007 and third quarter adjusted diluted earnings per share
increased to $0.21 in 2008 from $0.17 in 2007. 

QIAGEN's third quarter 2007 results include the results of operations
of Digene Corporation  and eGene,  Inc., which were  acquired end  of
July 2007, as well as certain charges related to these  acquisitions.
QIAGEN's third quarter 2008 results include the results of operations
of Corbett Life Science, which was acquired in July 2008, and  Digene
Corporation and eGene,  Inc. as  well as certain  charges related  to
these acquisitions. 

QIAGEN's Third Quarter 2008
in US$ millions, except per share information Q3 2008 Q3 2007 Growth
Net sales                                       230.8   176.6    31%
Operating income, adj.[1]                        66.8    43.7    53%
Net income, adj.[2]                              42.4    31.1    36%
EPS, adj.[2] (US$)                               0.21    0.17    24% 

[1] excluding  acquisition,  integration  and  restructuring  related
charges as well as
  amortization of acquired intangibles and equity-based  compensation
(SFAS 123R).
[2] excluding  acquisition,  integration  and  restructuring  related
charges as well as
  amortization of acquired intangibles and equity-based  compensation
(SFAS 123R) and
    including   a   tax   benefit    of   $0.02   in   EPS   in    Q3
2007. 

For the  nine-month  period  ended  September  30,  2008,  net  sales
increased 49% to  $655.8 million  compared to $439.6  million in  the
same period of 2007. Operating income as reported for the nine months
ended September 30, 2008 increased  81% to $105.2 million from  $58.1
million for the  same period  in 2007,  net income  increased 83%  to
$64.3 million from  $35.1 million  in the  same period  of 2007,  and
diluted earnings per share increased to  $0.31 in 2008 from $0.21  in
the same period of 2007. 

On an  adjusted basis,  operating income  for the  nine-month  period
ended September 30, 2008 increased 65% to $186.1 million in 2008 from
$112.5 million  in 2007,  and adjusted  net income  increased 51%  to
$119.6 million  from $79.4  million.  Adjusted diluted  earnings  per
share in the nine  months ended September 30,  2008 increased 21%  to
$0.58 per share from $0.48 per share in the same period of 2007. 

QIAGEN has  regularly reported  adjusted results  to give  additional
insight into its financial performance as well as considered  results
on a constant currencies basis. Adjusted results should be considered
in addition  to  the reported  results  prepared in  accordance  with
generally  accepted  accounting   principles,  but   should  not   be
considered a substitute. The Company believes certain items should be
excluded from adjusted results  when they are  either outside of  our
ongoing core  operations or  can vary  significantly from  period  to
period, which affects the comparability of results with the Company's
competitors and our  own prior  periods. Costs  and charges  excluded
from  adjusted   results   include  acquisition,   integration,   and
restructuring-related costs,  acquisition-related  amortization,  and
equity based compensation in  accordance with Statement of  Financial
Accounting Standards No. 123 (Revised) (SFAS 123R). 

QIAGEN's Adjustments to Gross Profit,
Operating Income, Net Income and EPS
in US$ millions
unless indicated        Q3 2008     Q3 2007     9M 2008     9M 2007 

Gross profit,               152.9       116.2       442.2       294.8
reported
Acquisition and               0.4         1.4         0.4         1.4
integration related
charges
Amortization of              12.8         8.4        35.5        12.2
acquired intangibles
SFAS 123R impact              0.2           -         0.8           -
Gross profit,               166.3       126.0       478.9       308.4
adjusted 

Operating income             38.2       (1.7)       105.2        58.1
(loss), reported
Acquisition and               8.9         5.9        27.1         7.9
integration related
charges (incl. COS)
Purchased in-process          0.8        25.9         0.8        25.9
research &
development
Amortization of              16.8        11.4        46.0        16.6
acquired intangibles
(incl. COS)
Relocation and                0.2           -         0.7         0.5
restructuring charges
SFAS 123R impact              1.9         2.2         6.3         3.5
(incl. COS)
Operating income,            66.8        43.7       186.1       112.5
adjusted 

Net income (loss),           20.8       (7.3)        64.3        35.1
reported
Acquisition and               6.0         3.8        17.6         5.1
integration related
charges
Purchased in-process          0.8        25.9         0.8        25.9
research &
development
Relocation and                0.1           -         0.5         0.4
restructuring charges
Acquisition related
impairment                    2.5           -         2.5           -
Amortization of              10.9         7.3        29.7        10.7
acquired intangibles
SFAS 123R impact              1.3         1.4         4.2         2.2
Net income, adjusted         42.4        31.1       119.6        79.4 

Weighted average      204,600,000 185,481,000 204,999,000 166,193,000
number of diluted
common shares
EPS, reported in             0.10      (0.04)        0.31        0.21
US$[1]
EPS, adjusted in US$         0.21        0.17        0.58        0.48 

[1] Dilutive  shares  are not  considered  in the  Q3  2007  reported
diluted   loss    per    share    as   those    shares    would    be
antidilutive.
Basic shares for Q3 2007 were 177,919,000. 

"QIAGEN experienced a successful and strong third quarter 2008," said
Peer Schatz, QIAGEN's  Chief Executive Officer.  "We saw  significant
revenue, operating margin  and net income  growth which exceeded  our
guidance.  We  continued  to  expand  our  leadership  and  strategic
position. Our growth  is significantly driven  by innovation. In  the
third quarter 2008 alone, we launched 23 new products in the area  of
sample and assay technologies  with now even 5%  of sales once  again
achieved record  sales  from products  launched  within the  last  12
months." 

"We saw strong demand across all of our customer segments and  expect
this trend to continue. Sales  to customers in molecular  diagnostics
(approximately 45% of  our sales)  showed a  very strong  performance
during the third quarter with a growth rate of approximately 38% over
the comparable quarter 2007,"  Schatz added. "Growth was  experienced
across the board for  our products in this  area - platforms,  sample
and assay  technologies.  In  terms  of  assay  areas,  our  genetic,
infectious disease and women's health assays showed especially strong
performances.  Within  the  women's  health  assay  portfolio,  which
represents  about  half  of  our  sales  into  molecular  diagnostics
customers,  the  successful  introduction  of  our  novel   marketing
programs  in  the  areas  of  channel  management,  segmentation  and
messaging had very strong resonance  - in particular in HPV  testing,
where we recorded an organic growth rate of approximately 20%." 

"We are also  very pleased  with the  launch of  our new  QIAsymphony
platform, which  was launched  in June  of this  year and  which  has
introduced  a  new  dimension  of  molecular  processing  power.  Our
pipeline is  very strong  for this  new, modular,  random access  and
continuous load platform.  We are  also very excited  about our  most
recent acquisition of an assay detection platform: the Pyrosequencing
technology which we added through  the acquisition of the  BioSystems
business from Biotage  this October," Peer  Schatz continued.   "This
transaction added a fundamental assay technology for  high-resolution
sequence detection  and  quantification  of gene  variations  and  we
believe it will play a very important role in epigenetics as well  as
multiplex genetic and  pathogen detection. Our  molecular 'sample  to
result' solutions  for customers  in molecular  diagnostics,  applied
testing, pharma and academic  research now span  qualitative/endpoint
PCR, multiplex  technologies, capillary  electrophoresis as  well  as
quantitative and high resolution sequence-based analysis and cover  a
broad range of throughput needs." 

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November 10, 2008 17:48 ET (22:48 GMT)