Although Thermo Fisher sweetened the takeover bid by c.10% last month, Qiagen’s shareholders have still rejected the deal – only 47% of the shareholders voted in favour, compared to a minimum threshold of 66.7%. Considering that valuations in the diagnostics space are extremely expensive, higher bids are doubtful. Moreover, Qiagen could prefer to sail independently to cash-in on the unprecedented demand for COVID-19 solutions.
