Ending Cervical Cancer Featured at Summit; QIAGEN CEO Issues a Call to Global Women Leaders

HANOI, Vietnam, June 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- QIAGEN was featured
this week for its efforts to eliminate cervical cancer at the 14th annual
Global Summit of Women in Hanoi, Vietnam. CEO Peer Schatz came to this
prominent international platform to issue a call to other leaders in
business, NGOs and governments to join him and campaign to create a
cervical-cancer-free world.

"Nearly 500,000 women around the world are diagnosed with cervical
cancer every year - a shocking number considering that it's a highly
preventable disease," Mr. Schatz told ministers from more than 60 countries
at a roundtable on the opening day. "However, QIAGEN and partners such as
the summit's Global Consortium of Women to End Cervical Cancer are showing
that where there is a will there is a way. I urge you to join us. The tools
are there; they just need desire and commitment to put them to work."

The Global Summit of Women annually brings together more than 1,000
senior-level women in business, government and advocacy, and is often
called the "Davos for Women." It celebrates women's leadership by bringing
together business and governmental professionals to work together to
improve the economic power and well-being of females throughout the world.
At last year's summit, President Irene Natividad announced the launch of an
international "consortium to end cervical cancer." The consortium "aims to
educate women about cervical cancer prevention and encouraging governments
to provide easy access to the latest methods of prevention and detection,
including HPV testing and vaccination." Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the
primary cause of cervical cancer, and QIAGEN has developed the only FDA-
and EU-approved test for high-risk types of the virus.

"We are delighted to have corporate leaders such as QIAGEN partner with
us. Together we can leave the legacy of a cervical-cancer-free world to the
next generations of women," said Ms Natividad. "We have made huge strides
with women's empowerment. Yet, too often, an obstacle prevents millions of
women from living healthy, productive lives: cancer. Cervical cancer kills
more than a quarter million women each year, and nearly all of these deaths
are preventable. New vaccines and a highly accurate test for HPV have the
power to eliminate this devastating disease. But we need help in assuring
access to these medical advances for all women, and we welcome QIAGEN's
commitment and leadership."

In addition to its digene HPV Test, which QIAGEN distributes widely in
the United States, Europe and elsewhere, the company is partnering with the
non-profit organization PATH to develop a specially designed version of the
screening test for low-resource countries. This new test is sensitive
enough to identify the largest number of women at risk - a critical
characteristic when a woman may be able to get to a medical clinic just
once or twice in her lifetime. Yet at the same time, the new HPV test can
be run without electricity or running water, and can be administered by
workers with minimal training.

"Public-private partnerships are essential to advancing the health
agenda for women, and QIAGEN is committed to leading the way," Mr. Schatz
told the audience at a panel discussion on corporate social responsibility
at the summit. "We look forward to working in tandem with the many partners
we have found at this summit and elsewhere."

About HPV and cervical cancer (http://www.theHPVtest.com)

Worldwide, cervical cancer affects nearly 500,000 women annually and,
after breast cancer, is the second most common malignancy found in women.
Cervical cancer is caused by "high-risk" types of the human papillomavirus
(HPV), which are sexually transmitted. It's estimated that 80 percent of
women will get an HPV infection at some point in their lives. However, in
most cases, the infection goes away or is suppressed by the body without
causing problems. It is only infections that persist that can cause
abnormal cells to form that may develop into cervical cancer if not
detected and treated early. One report from the World Health Organization
estimates that only about 5 percent of women had been screened for cervical
disease in the previous five years, compared to 40-50 percent in the
developed world.

About QIAGEN (http://www.qiagen.com)

QIAGEN NV, headquartered in the Netherlands, is the leading global
provider of sample and assay technologies. Sample technologies are used to
isolate and process DNA, RNA and proteins from biological samples such as
blood or tissue, and assays make these isolated molecules visible to
facilitate such vital activities as biological research and detection of
disease. QIAGEN has developed and markets more than 500 products as well as
instruments that make their use more efficient and accurate. The company
provides its products to molecular diagnostics laboratories, academic
researchers, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and applied
testing customers for purposes such as forensics, animal or food testing
and pharmaceutical process control. QIAGEN's assay technologies include one
of the broadest panels of molecular diagnostic tests available worldwide,
including the only FDA-approved test for human papillomavirus (HPV), the
primary cause of cervical cancer. QIAGEN employs more than 2,600 people in
over 30 locations worldwide.

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[Via Healthcare]