QIAGEN Automated Workflow With QIAsymphony RGQ Receives AOAC Validation for Detection of Salmonella in Food Samples

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island, and HILDEN, Germany, July 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ –

        - Key international body certifies high-throughput testing with QIAGEN's
          mericon[R] Salmonella kit on QIAsymphony RGQ platform, as well as manual use of the
          assay
        - QIAGEN achieves milestone in offering fast, efficient workflows to food safety
          labs
        - Applied Testing customers increasingly adopting QIAsymphony RGQ automation
          platform

QIAGEN (NASDAQ: QGEN; Frankfurt, Prime Standard: QIA) today announced that its
mericon[R] Salmonella spp. kit in combination with the QIAsymphony RGQ automation platform
has received validation from the AOAC Research Institute, an independent third party
organization that evaluates analytical methods for use in food safety and other testing.
The mericon[R] kit provides all necessary reagents for detection of Salmonella subspecies
(or spp.) and runs on the QIAsymphony RGQ modular system, which automates entire workflows
from food sample to the final result. The AOAC Research Institute validated the mericon[R]
kit on QIAsymphony RGQ, as well as manual use, for low- and high-throughput testing of
eight different food sample types. QIAGEN is exhibiting its technologies, including the
Salmonella workflow, this week at the annual meeting of the International Association for
Food Protection (IAFP) in Providence, Rhode Island.

“Achieving this validation of our QIAsymphony RGQ automated workflow in finding
Salmonella, the most significant market opportunity in safeguarding food safety, adds
further momentum to the dissemination of our instruments and test kits in the Applied
Testing market. Our emerging food safety testing portfolio is very rapidly growing,” said
Dr. Dietrich Hauffe, Senior Vice President, Life Sciences Business Area, of QIAGEN. “As a
result of this key certification, food industry labs can now process more samples and
improve efficiency by automating their Salmonella workflow using our mericon[R] Salmonella
spp. kit with QIAsymphony RGQ. This certification marks an important milestone, as further
key assays in our broad food testing assay portfolio are targeting certification and a
growing number of labs are adopting the QIAsymphony RGQ platform.”

Sharon Brunelle, technical consultant for the AOAC Research Institute, said in a
statement that QIAGEN “has demonstrated that the mericon workflow performs as well or
better than the ISO reference method for selected foods, earning Performance Tested Method
certification.” AOAC Research Institute is a wholly owned subsidiary of AOAC INTERNATIONAL
(AOAC), an international standards developing organization with a membership of more than
3,000 laboratory scientists and officials. The AOAC Performance Tested[SM] certification
has international recognition.

Salmonella is a common bacterium in nature that can cause serious illness when
ingested in contaminated food, drink or water. More than 1 million people a year in the
United States suffer gastrointestinal sickness from Salmonella, which normally goes away
after a few days but can be dangerous to elderly or vulnerable patients, according to the
Food and Drug Administration. One type of Salmonella causes typhoid fever, a
life-threatening infection that can produce high fevers and damage to vital organs or
joints. Left untreated, about one in 10 patients with the typhoidal infection will die.
The FDA estimates 1,800 people a year in the U.S. contract typhoid fever.

QIAGEN offers a range of innovative, high-quality solutions to help safeguard the food
supply and continues to add content to address various threats to public health. QIAGEN’s
suite of food safety test kits covers all phases of testing for this global market,
including DNA purification, screening for pathogens, genetically modified organism (GMO)
detection, and ingredient authentication.

About QIAGEN

QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands holding company, is the leading global provider of Sample &
Assay Technologies that are used to transform biological materials into valuable molecular
information. Sample technologies are used to isolate and process DNA
[http://www.qiagen.com/about/pressreleases/pressreleaseview.aspx?PressReleaseID=384&lang=EN ]
, RNA
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and proteins from biological samples such as blood or tissue. Assay technologies are
then used to make these isolated biomolecules visible and ready for interpretation. QIAGEN
markets more than 500 products around the world, selling both consumable kits and
automation systems to customers through four customer classes: Molecular Diagnostics
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(human healthcare), Applied Testing
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(forensics, veterinary testing and food safety), Pharma (pharmaceutical and
biotechnology companies) and Academia (life sciences research). As of June 30, 2012,
QIAGEN employed approximately 4,000 people in more than 35 locations worldwide. Further
information can be found at http://www.qiagen.com.

Certain of the statements contained in this news release may be considered
forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of
1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
To the extent that any of the statements contained herein relating to QIAGEN’s products,
markets, strategy or operating results, including without limitation its expected
operating results, are forward-looking, such statements are based on current expectations
and assumptions that involve a number of uncertainties and risks. Such uncertainties and
risks include, but are not limited to, risks associated with management of growth and
international operations (including the effects of currency fluctuations, regulatory
processes and dependence on logistics), variability of operating results and allocations
between customer classes, the commercial development of markets for our products in
applied testing
[http://www.qiagen.com/about/pressreleases/pressreleaseview.aspx?PressReleaseID=384&lang=EN ]
, personalized healthcare, clinical research, proteomics
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, women’s health/HPV
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testing and nucleic acid
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-based molecular diagnostics
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; changing relationships with customers, suppliers and strategic partners; competition;
rapid or unexpected changes in technologies; fluctuations in demand for QIAGEN’s products
(including fluctuations due to general economic conditions, the level and timing of
customers’ funding, budgets and other factors); our ability to obtain regulatory approval
of our products; difficulties in successfully adapting QIAGEN’s products to integrated
solutions and producing such products; the ability of QIAGEN to identify and develop new
products and to differentiate and protect our products from competitors’ products; market
acceptance of QIAGEN’s new products, the consummation of acquisitions, and the integration
of acquired technologies and businesses. For further information, please refer to the
discussions in reports that QIAGEN has filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission (SEC).

        Contacts:

        Public Relations:
        Dr. Thomas Theuringer
        Director Public Relations
        +49-2103-29-11826
        +1-240-686-7425

        Email: pr@qiagen.com

http://www.twitter.com/qiagen

http://www.qiagen.com/about/press

        Investor Relations:
        John Gilardi
        VP Corporate Communications
        +49-2103-29-11711
        +1-240-686-2222

        Albert F. Fleury
        Investor Relations North America
        +1-240-686-7400

        Email: ir@qiagen.com

http://www.qiagen.com/about/investorrelation

SOURCE QIAGEN N.V.