Johnson & Johnson Buys Swedish Diagnostic Test Developer

A Johnson & Johnson unit recently bought a Swedish company that develops technology for faster diagnostic tests of patient blood samples. J&J, one of the world's biggest drug and health product makers, said its Nordic AB unit, of Sollentuna, Sweden, purchased privately held Amic of Uppsala, Sweden. J&J hopes the acquisition will strengthen its Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics business. New Brunswick, NJ-based Johnson and Johnson said Amic's technology, which allows patient testing at the bedside, in doctor's offices and in other places outside labs, is an advance in a fast-growing area of diagnostics. The Amic technology uses its patented "4castchip," a microchip-based testing system that can give doctors test results rapidly, much faster than by sending them to a hospital's central lab, for example. That can be crucial in making a rapid diagnosis in ER departments and ICUs. According to J&J, the technology Amic is developing complements Ortho-Clinical's business, that includes screening and typing of blood donated for transfusions, antibody and other immune-system tests, and general clinical laboratory testing. An Ortho-Clinical spokeswoman said the deal will give it a new business in what's called point-of-care testing. Amic's roughly 40 employees will be integrated into Raritan, NJ-based Ortho-Clinical, which has 3,600 workers, she said, adding no layoffs are anticipated.