OPKO Health Receives Important U.S. Patent Allowance

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- OPKO Health, Inc. (NYSE:OPK) today announced the receipt of a patent allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for the patent application titled “Flow Control in Microfluidic Systems”.

This patent describes methods for passively regulating flow in microfluidic systems. The techniques are particularly well suited for simple and portable analytical systems – such as those used in point-of-care diagnostics. Actions such as stopping and re-starting flow and controlled reaction and incubation times which would normally require complex instrumentation can be pre-programmed in the design of each microfluidic system. This enables the performance of relatively complex assays with minimal equipment. Bio-analytical procedures such as thermo-cycling for PCR, enzymatic amplification of signals in solution, and timed incubation and mixing can now be implemented in robust, easy-to-use, and cost-effective systems.

“Although this patent was intended to apply to a specific set of assays currently under development at OPKO, we view this as a particularly important enabling technology for adapting almost any laboratory test onto our platform,” said Phillip Frost, M.D., OPKO’s Chairman and CEO.

About OPKO Health, Inc.

OPKO is a multi-national biopharmaceutical and diagnostics company that seeks to establish industry-leading positions in large and rapidly growing medical markets by leveraging its discovery, development and commercialization expertise and novel and proprietary technologies.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements," as that term is defined under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA), which statements may be identified by words such as "expects," "plans," "projects," "will," "may," "anticipates," "believes," "should," "intends," "estimates," and other words of similar meaning, including statements regarding the potential benefits of OPKO’s diagnostic technology, whether a patent for OPKO’s technology will issue based on the notice of allowance, the ability of the technology to enable performance of complex assays with minimal equipment and implement bio-analytical procedures in robust, easy-to-use and cost effective systems, the ability to adapt almost any laboratory test for our platform, our ability to successfully develop tests utilizing the technology and to differentiate our product from those of competitors, and the suitability and ease of use of our product for the point-of care markets, as well as other non-historical statements about our expectations, beliefs or intentions regarding our business, technologies and products, financial condition, strategies or prospects.

Many factors could cause our actual activities or results to differ materially from the activities and results anticipated in forward-looking statements. These factors include those described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and risks inherent in funding, developing and obtaining regulatory approvals of new, commercially-viable and competitive products and treatments. In addition, forward-looking statements may also be adversely affected by general market factors, competitive product development, product availability, federal and state regulations and legislation, the regulatory process for new products and indications, manufacturing issues that may arise, patent positions and litigation, among other factors. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date the statements were made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements. We intend that all forward-looking statements be subject to the safe-harbor provisions of the PSLRA.

OPKO Health, Inc.
Steve Rubin, 305-575-4100

Source: OPKO Health, Inc.

Released May 14, 2012