Ahura Scientific bought by Thermo for $145m

Phil Taylor

24-Jan-2010

Ahura TruScan Thermo Fisher Scientific has offered $145m in cash to acquire Ahura Scientific, the manufacturer of the TruScan device designed to ensure the safety of the supply chain through raw material verification and the detection of counterfeits.

The deal also includes a provision for an earn-out payment based on the achievement of Ahura Scientific's 2010 financial targets. The company said it generated revenues of around $45m in 2009, passing the $100m sales mark in September 2009 since it launched its first product in 2005.

Ahura Scientific has pioneered the use of handheld Raman and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectrometers that can rapidly identify and authenticate chemicals and other substances in the field, for example in the goods-in bay of a manufacturing facility. The company employs around 120 workers at its headquarters in Wilmington, Massachusetts.

In a statement, Thermo said the deal would expand its portfolio of portable analytical devices "designed to provide customers with the ability to rapidly identify and authenticate a range of molecular and elemental substances in the field."

Thermo markets a range of handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysers which are used for metal and alloy analysis, quality assurance and control, consumer product safety and environmental analysis. It also sells benchtop Raman and FT-IR spectrometers and gas chromatographs in a broad portfolio of instruments that can be used for identifying and verifying raw materials.

"This combination brings together both companies’ leading technologies for portable chemical and elemental analysis, allowing us to create a powerful tool set for our customers that enables laboratory-quality analysis in the field," commented Thermo's chief executive Marc Casper.

Ahura Scientific entered the pharmaceutical field in 2007 with its TruScan device. The instrument can scan through sealed packaging, including bottles or blister packs, without opening them, and the company claims that nine out of the 10 top pharmaceutical companies have deployed the instrument.

The TruScan device is also finding applications in national counterfeit surveillance and detection programmes. For example, Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is now using a number of TruScan scanners to identify counterfeits in the field.

The takeover is expected to close during the first quarter of 2010, subject to regulatory approvals. Once completed Ahura Scientific will be integrated into Thermo Fisher’s Analytical Technologies Segment.

Related articles:

Nigeria 'getting there' in fake drugs fight, says analyst

Ahura scanners bound for Nigerian drugs regulator

TruScan now available in German, Chinese

Ahura sales top $100m threshold

New CFO at Ahura Scientific

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