Inverness Buys Free & Clear

9/21/09

Waltham, MA-based Inverness Medical Innovations (NYSE: IMA) said today that it has acquired Seattle-based Free & Clear for $100 million in cash, plus up to $30 million in potential follow-on payments based on Free & Clear’s 2010 revenues. Inverness manufactures consumer diagnostic tests such as pregnancy tests, and also provides wellness and disease management services through its Alere subsidiary. Free & Clear, which was backed by Polaris Venture Partners, Three Arch Partners, and Kaiser Permanente Ventures, offers telephone-based coaching for company employees battling tobacco addiction, obesity, and stress.

Wade Roush is Xconomy's chief correspondent and editor of Xconomy San Francisco. You can subscribe to his Google Group or e-mail him at wroush@xconomy.com. Follow @