Roche says will buy U.S. maker of prenatal Down syndrome test

[December 02, 2014]  ZURICH (Reuters) - Roche said on Tuesday it will acquire San Jose, CA-based Ariosa Diagnostics, Inc., a molecular diagnostics firm which makes a prenatal test to assess the risk of Down syndrome and other genetic abnormalities.

Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

"The acquisition of Ariosa is another example of Roche's commitment to advanced molecular diagnostics," Roche diagnostics executive Roland Diggelmann said in a statement.

The Basel-based drugmaker said in August it would buy U.S. biotech company InterMune Inc for $8.3 billion in cash, in a move to expand into the treatment of rare or incurable diseases.

(Reporting By Katharina Bart; Editing by Maria Sheahan)

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