An Independent Pharmacia Diagnostics Charts an Independent Course

Two private equity firms' acquisition of Pharmacia Diagnostics from Pfizer underscores private equity's growing but still selective interest in European health care and opportunities in a field overlooked by mainstream diagnostics companies, allergy testing. The new owners are paying nearly $600 million in a bet on Pharmacia Diagnostics' long-time management's ability to take advantage of the growth potential of this specialized field.