CPHD

[KCScott]

Cepheid
904 Caribbean Drive
Sunnyvale, CA 94089-1189
Phone: 408-541-4191
Fax: 408-541-4192
Web Site: http://www.cepheid.com

Cepheid engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of systems that perform genetic analysis for the clinical genetic assessment, life sciences, and biothreat markets. Its systems, which are based on microfluidic and microelectronic technologies, integrate automated sample preparation, amplification, and detection, as well as analyze biological samples in proprietary test cartridges. The company offers principally SmartCycler and GeneXpert product platform systems. The SmartCycler integrates deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) amplification and detection to enable genetic analysis of a sample. The GeneXpert integrates automated sample preparation with SmartCycler amplification and detection technology. The company's life science products include OmniMix, which provides researchers with PCR enzyme reagent optimized for its products, and Disposable SmartCycler Reaction Tubes, which are optimized for research and diagnostic applications. Its biothreat products include GeneXpert Module for sample preparation, amplification, and detection from raw biological samples, and GeneXpert Anthrax Cartridge for the detection of anthrax. Cepheid also offers clinical genetic assessment products known as analyte specific reagents. These products comprise Bordetella pertussis to detect a 103 bp region of the IS481 gene; HSV Non-Typing to detect a 92bp region of the HSV Type 1 and Type 2 polymerase gene; HSV Typing to detect the glycoprotein G gene of HSV Type 2; and Enterovirus to detect a 115 bp region of the 5' UTR. The company sells its products worldwide through direct sales force and third-party distributors. It has strategic relationship with bioMerieux, Inc. for bioMerieux to develop DNA testing products using nucleic acid sequence-based amplification technology to be run on systems employing Smart Cycler and GeneXpert platforms. Cepheid was founded by Thomas L. Gutshall and Kurt Petersen in 1996. The company is based in Sunnyvale, California.

Since Nov. the stock has blown up in Novemeber and is closing in on 52 week high.....


---------

The Question: Is there more room to grow?


They are currently trading at 5x sales with 45% quarerly revenue growth and 90% sales growth.

They are not profitable, yet.............

Cepheid Reports Third Quarter 2005 Results
Thursday November 3, 4:05 pm ET  
43% Increase in Product Sales Drive 45% Increase in Total Revenues
Product Sales for the Nine Months Period Increase by 90%


SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cepheid (Nasdaq: CPHD - News) today announced financial results for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2005.
ADVERTISEMENT


Product sales for the quarter ended September 30, 2005 increased 43% to approximately $19.2 million from approximately $13.4 million for the corresponding prior year period while product sales for the nine months ended September 30, 2005 increased 90% to approximately $58.2 million from approximately $30.6 million for the corresponding prior year period. The increase in product sales for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2005 as compared to the corresponding prior year periods was primarily due to a 103% and 266%, respectively, increase in reagent and disposable sales, respectively.

Total revenues for the quarter ended September 30, 2005 increased 45% to approximately $20.4 million compared to approximately $14.1 million for the corresponding prior year period while total revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 2005 increased 88% to approximately $61.4 million from $32.6 million for the corresponding prior year period. The increase in total revenue for both the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2005 as compared to the corresponding prior year periods was due primarily to the increase in product sales. Contract revenue of $0.8 and $2.2 million for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2005 was primarily derived from the amortization of up-front license fees in connection with the Company's collaboration with bioMerieux.

Gross Margin Dollars on product sales (total product sales less cost of product sales) for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2005 increased by 28% and 76%, respectively as compared to the corresponding prior year periods. The gross margin percentage on product sales for the quarter ended September 30, 2005 decreased to 40% from 44% in the corresponding prior year period and decreased to 42% for nine months ended September 30, 2005 as compared to 46% for the corresponding prior year period. The decline in gross margin percentage on product sales for the nine months ended September 30, 2005 as compared to the corresponding prior year period was due primarily to the impact of production problems with the anthrax test cartridge occurring in the second and third quarters. The resulting manufacturing inefficiencies and inventory exposures are not expected to recur in the fourth quarter. In addition, amortization of up front license fees and higher ongoing royalty costs associated with the Company's patent license agreements entered into with Applera Corporation and F. Hoffman-LaRoche Ltd in the second and third quarter of 2004 as well as one time favorable pricing achieved in the first quarter of 2004 which did not occur in the nine months ended September 30, 2005 further impacted the gross profit margin. Gross margin on product sales for the full year 2005 is expected to be in the range of 40% to 45%.

Net loss for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2005 was approximately $3.3 million, or $0.08 per share and $10.4 million, or $0.24 per share, respectively, compared to a net loss of approximately $2.9 million, or $0.07 per share and $10.8 million, or $0.26 per share, respectively, for the corresponding prior year periods.

"We continued to realize substantial growth in product sales during the quarter. However, our realized rate of growth in gross profit on product sales was less than the actual rate achieved for product sales. This is due to the negative impact of manufacturing inefficiencies and inventory exposure on production of our anthrax test cartridges, which occurred during the quarter. During the course of an extensive process review, we believe we have identified the underlying root cause of our current and previous quarter inefficiencies. A solution for this problem has been identified and implemented. Further, we have implemented additional process controls to rapidly identify any quality variants early in each production run. As a result, we expect to see an improvement of approximately three to four percentage points in future gross profit margins on product sales, which we expect to begin to realize in the fourth quarter," stated John Bishop, Cepheid's CEO.

Mr. Bishop continued, "Sales in our clinical market segment were particularly strong in the third quarter followed by sales in the biothreat segment. ASR products for Flu A/B, mecA, M. pneumoniae and RSV were released to the market during the quarter. This brings our available ASR product menu to twelve products. We currently have clinical trials underway for Group B Strep (GBS) on both our SmartCycler® and GeneXpert® systems and Enterovirus (EV) on the GeneXpert® system. Subsequent to the close of the quarter, we announced the release of the GeneXpert system in the clinical molecular research market along with a BCR/ABL (RUO) product. These products will be available for shipment on November 15, 2005."

"Recently, there has been increased discussion and concern surrounding Avian Influenza (AI). Cepheid previously discussed that we have been working with the USDA, through our CSR program, in producing an AI specific test for use in testing poultry and migratory water fowl. Further evaluation of our recently released ASR product for Flu A/B has found that this product will detect virus strains associated with AI and as such may be of help in tracking AI with regard to potential human infection."

"Sales in the biothreat market segment also continued to grow during the third quarter with continued deployment of Biohazard Detection Systems (BDS) within the United States Postal Service (USPS) processing centers and further utilization of the GeneXpert system by the Department of State (DOS). Nearly 1.5 million anthrax tests have been run within the USPS and DOS with no false positives. Currently, over 1000 GeneXpert® based systems have been deployed for routine use. We continue to expect BDS deployment within the USPS processing centers to be completed by the end of the year."

"In the Industrial market, Public Health Laboratory Issues in Brief; April 2005 reported that our SmartCycler® system is the leading real time PCR testing platform used in public health. Separately, as previously reported, a third party evaluation of products for environmental water testing found a strong performance by Cepheid's products utilizing our recently acquired scorpions technology."

2005 Outlook

Commenting on Cepheid's outlook for the remainder of 2005, Mr. Bishop stated:

"We expect to continue to make progress in the development and marketing of our clinical products. As previously stated, the GeneXpert® system and BCR/ABL (RUO) product will be available for shipment to potential clinical molecular research customers on November 15, 2005. Clinical trials for GBS are expected to be completed during the fourth quarter followed by a 510k FDA submission by the end of the year or just after the first of the year 2006. Clinical trials are also currently underway for our EV product. We expect Clinical trials for both GBS and EV to be completed during the fourth quarter. We currently expect our GBS, EV and BCR/ABL products to be CE marked and released in Europe during the first quarter of 2006. These are expected to be followed by release in the US market in the second quarter pending FDA clearance. Development of our MRSA test is continuing with a key objective focused on providing the clinician with the ability to specifically identify methicillin sensitive and resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (SA), and to avoid detection of staphylococcus strains that could lead to a false positive clinical result."

"We received a purchase order from Northrop Grumman for 2.3 million anthrax cartridges during the third quarter. Deliveries against this new purchase order began in August and will run through September of 2006. Development of our new 3 agent cartridge including anthrax, Y. pestis and F. tularensis is continuing and the product is expected to be available for market launch in the first quarter 2006. We expect the USPS to evaluate the product during the second and third quarters with potential routine use beginning in the fourth quarter of 2006. Separately, discussions are currently underway regarding the potential use of the GeneXpert® system with open cartridges for use by international groups interested in using their own probe and primer designs."

"We reaffirm that we expect our 2005 product sales to be in the range of $80.0 million to $84.0 million, based on anticipated sales for the USPS program and sales expected from other existing and new products. As previously stated, we expect our 2005 net loss to be in the range of $12.0 million to $14.0 million or $0.28 to $0.33 per share based on actual weighted average shares outstanding of 42.6 million as of September 30, 2005."

As of September 30, 2005, the Company had $40.2 million in unrestricted cash and marketable securities.

-----------------------------

Opinions?

[REALDEALS21]

This stock is worth another look....this is only of many biotech companies showing promise to work to combat menacing microbes. The federal government is boosting funding for these endeavors. CPHD also provides the U.S Postal Service with anthrax screening systems.

[ScottishTrader]

My take...  Think this one has definitely got legs... Bounce off the 50% Fib, Ascending triangle breakout into new uptrending channel.  Big vol last couple of days signals solid move ahead.

Watch for a break above 10.00 on Monday

[sebfr]

Hi,

a short term bearish signal is appeared..

Technical analysis :
1. Chart pattern : Island top

Close at 55.67
Stop loss at 60.00

[setravis]

AP
Sector Wrap: Diagnostics Makers Rise
Tuesday June 26, 4:45 pm ET 
Diagnostics Makers Gain After Roche Offers $3 Billion for Ventana Medical


NEW YORK (AP) -- Shares of diagnostic product makers were mostly up Tuesday after Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche Holding AG made a $3 billion hostile bid for Ventana Medical Systems Inc.
Roche's offer, made late Monday, translates to $75 per Ventana share. The Tucson, Ariz.-based company's stock surged past that price, rising $24.69, or 47.7 percent, to close at $76.43 in regular trading. Ventana's board of directors is reviewing the offer.

 
Thomas Weisel Partners analyst Peter Lawson said buyouts, and buyout premiums, have been rising in the sector. Roche has purchased four companies in the last few months.

"The spate of acquisitions in the diagnostic space has reduced the number of mid-stage diagnostic companies from seven to two in the last four months," he said. "We continue to believe Luminex and Cepheid are potential acquisition targets, based on the strength of their underlying businesses and technology platforms."

Cepheid shares rose $1.25, or 10 percent, to $13.72.

Luminex Corp. shares hit a 52-week low in early trading, but gained 59 cents, or 5.1 percent, to close at $12.17.

Banc of America Securities analyst Jon Wood said other companies could make their own bids for Ventana. Wood raised his price target for the shares to $80 per share from $55.

Shares of Applied Biosystems Group rose $1.01, or 3.4 percent, to $30.53.

Shares of Stryker Corp. advanced 81 cents to $63.97.

Baxter International Inc. stock bucked the trend, losing 59 cents to $54.47.

Questions or comments about this story should be directed to AP Financial News at (212) 621-7190.

[setravis]

Hospitals Crack Down on Deadly Infections
New Testing Allows Facilities
To Quickly Identify Carriers;
The Hand-Washing Problem
By THEO FRANCIS
June 26, 2007; Page D1

As concern over antibiotic-resistant infections grows, some hospitals are aggressively screening patients with new tests that can rapidly detect one of the most problematic bugs.

Several hospitals say the effort, though expensive, is paying off, in part because they can quickly isolate patients carrying the strain to help prevent its spread. After six months of testing every patient entering Newark Beth Israel Medical Center's intensive-care unit, officials say the new tracking regime has helped it slash new infections by methicillin-resistant staphylococcus bacteria to nearly zero, and cut the proportion of intensive-care patients carrying the bug to 10% from 33%.

Similarly, the University of Maryland Medical Center says early results from its own surveillance efforts suggest it is preventing enough costly infections to pay for itself.


An estimated 5,000 people a year die from infection with methicillin-resistant staph aureus, or MRSA, according to the CDC.
Staph infections are common in health-care settings, but the spread of drug-resistant strains is particularly worrisome because they are hard to treat and can quickly become deadly in patients whose immune systems are already under strain.

Methicillin-resistant staph aureus, or MRSA, has become increasingly common, making up more than 60% of hospital staph infections in recent years, up from 2% in the mid-1970s. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 126,000 people are hospitalized with MRSA infections each year and about 5,000 die, with an annual price tag totaling $4 billion a year.

"It's clear that MRSA infections are on the rise," says John Jernigan, a medical epidemiologist with the CDC in Atlanta.

Indeed, new data released this week suggest that the drug-resistant bacteria strain could be considerably more common than previously thought. A study surveying infection rates at more than 1,200 health-care facilities, including about one in five U.S. hospitals, found that 34 of every 1,000 patients were infected with MRSA. At least another 12 patients per 1,000 carried the organism without having an active infection, likely helping spread it within the hospital and outside, according to the study, which was carried out by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

Those figures are well above previous CDC estimates, which suggested that 3.95 of every 1,000 hospital patients discharged had been diagnosed with MRSA. Earlier estimates have used a different methodology, analyzing largely intensive-care-unit patients and relying on a few hundred hospitals for data, with more large teaching facilities and fewer of the small community hospitals that predominate in the U.S.

INFECTION CONTROL



Some tips on preventing infection with MRSA, a virulent and antibiotic-resistant strain of bacteria:
• Keep cuts and abrasions clean, dry and covered
• Don't share towels, razors or other toiletries
• Ask doctors and nurses to wash their hands or use alcohol hand-sanitizer
• See a doctor about red, swollen bumps like spider bites, sometimes with pus, that don't heal easily
Source: Centers for Disease Control and PreventionThe new study also suggests that MRSA may be as big a problem in many areas of the hospital -- not just in the intensive-care units and surgical wards that are most closely watched for the bug. APIC found that two-thirds of the MRSA infections hospitals reported last fall were in general medical wards. "MRSA's not confined to the ICU any more -- it's across the medical service," says William Jarvis, the former CDC epidemiologist who oversaw the study.

'Abysmal' Hand-Washing

Preventing MRSA infections in hospitals can be as simple as conscientious hand-washing, isolating infected patients and using disposable gowns and gloves in their rooms. But outside of emergency rooms, hand-washing rates are "abysmal" -- fewer than half of doctors nationally do so consistently, says Jonathan Perlin, chief medical officer for HCA Inc., the Nashville, Tenn.-based hospital chain.

Cindy Gaston of Elverta, Calif., was hospitalized last year after a MRSA infection burst the incision from a recent Caesarean section. She says hospital personnel rarely put on disposable gowns and gloves when they entered her hospital room. "That happened, I would say, next to never," she says.

Even today, many hospitals uncover MRSA problems chiefly when they notice a rash of hard-to-treat infections, often urinary-tract infections among patients using catheters, or blood infections among those recovering from surgeries.

New computer systems allow hospitals to pull together data from bedside monitors, lab-test results and more to identify problem areas more quickly. Anne Dikon, infection-control coordinator at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Hamilton Township, N.J., says such a system at her hospital lets her zero in on troubling patterns sometimes within hours. Before, she said, "by the time I would manually count all that data and go through it ... it's two weeks down the road."

Other hospitals, including Newark Beth Israel and the University of Maryland Medical Center, are going further by trying to identify patients carrying MRSA before they show signs of infection.

Some hospitals are testing most patients who come in for any reason, not just those showing signs of infection. UMMC, for example, swabs the nose of every ICU patient, as well as "high-risk" patients elsewhere in its system -- for example, anyone who has spent the night in a health-care facility during the previous year, and those with problematic skin infections. Many patients are swabbed again before leaving the hospital.

Called "active surveillance," the effort has traditionally meant laboriously collecting swabs, growing laboratory cultures and then testing them for resistance against key antibiotics, a process that can take days.

But new equipment allows hospitals to rapidly scan samples for telltale stretches of the bug's DNA, letting hospitals identify drug-resistant strains in a few hours instead. They can then isolate those patients, making it less likely the bug will spread to others; some hospitals also treat the patient with topical medication to kill the bacteria.

The technique has been controversial in the U.S. because of its expense -- the rapid test alone can cost $25 to $30 per test, or several times more than a traditional culture after labor and equipment costs are factored in. Isolating additional patients -- those carrying MRSA but who aren't showing signs of active infection -- adds to the cost.

Nonetheless, proponents say the rapid-testing systems pay for themselves. Although some patients continue to arrive at Newark Beth Israel already infected with the antibiotic-resistant bug, the hospital expects its rapid-testing regimen to cut its spending on vancomycin -- the antibiotic of last resort for virulent infections -- to drop by $57,000 this year. Even given the additional cost of the rapid tests, the hospital figures it will save about $10,000 a year -- enough to pay off the testing equipment within three or four years.

"At the same time, there are a lot of benefits that are not monetary in nature," says Patricia Tsang, who runs the hospital's laboratory, including "decreased infection in already sick patients, increasing patient safety and possibly decreasing length of stay for the patients in the hospital."

Cost Savings

The University of Maryland Medical Center expects its rapid-testing regimen to break even financially, with total costs approaching $500,000 a year for equipment, labor and materials. Officials said they believe they have prevented about 11 MRSA infections over six months, saving the hospital about $230,000 in direct treatment costs, and insurers and patients still more.

"In reality, it's a tremendous savings," says Harold Standiford, professor of medicine and medical director for infection control at UMMC. "We're avoiding morbidity and mortality for the patients in the hospital. ... They're not as sick when they're in here, they're not having complications, they're getting well faster."

So far, only about 28% of hospitals are using active surveillance to identify patients carrying MRSA without active symptoms, according to the APIC study, and just a fraction of those are using the rapid-testing devices. Although a quarter to a third of the U.S. population is believed to carry MRSA -- often without symptoms -- health-care facilities typically test only those who show signs of infection, or in some cases those believed to be at high risk.

The federal Food and Drug Administration has approved devices for rapidly identifying MRSA from two manufacturers -- Becton, Dickinson & Co., of Franklin Lakes, N.J., and Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Cepheid -- and industry insiders say others are working to bring similar devices to market.

[setravis]

Homeland Security Biotech.......
Got a bounce off the 13-day MA, Above the 50-day MA. MACD rising.


52wk Range: 6.50 - 13.78
Volume: 1,893,315
Avg Vol (3m): 764,313

Technicals
Record Price High
Close Above the 13-day MA
Percentage Gainer

Last Price Quote is:
8.24%above 13-day MA
16.24%above 50-day MA
RS Rating: 94 

Fundamentals
Key Data:
Market Cap (M): $717.31 
P/E Ratio: NA 
PEG Ratio: -2.65333 
Next Earnings: 08/07/2007
Last Analyst Rating: Buy

[setravis]

Trend...(Long Recommendation)
The pullback.......Trending issue... Bouncing off the 50-day MA !!
but should do well till Jan. 



52wk Range: 6.85 - 25.17
Volume: 1,163,249
Avg Vol (3m): 923,745

Technicals
Percentage Gainer

Last Price Quote is:
-1.14%below 13-day MA
11.67%above 50-day MA
RS Rating: 98 

Fundamentals
Key Data:
Market Cap (M): $1,287.94 
P/E Ratio: NA 
PEG Ratio: -4.35333 
Next Earnings: 11/08/2007
Last Analyst Rating: Market Perform

[setravis]

New England Journal of Medicine Study Reports Xpert MTB/RIF ...


SUNNYVALE, Calif., Sept 02, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Cepheid (CPHD) today announced that its Xpert(R) MTB/RIF test was the subject of a study published in the latest edition of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), "Rapid Molecular Detection of Tuberculosis and Rifampin Resistance." The complete study is now available online ( http://www.nejm.org ) and will appear in the September 9 print edition.

Funded and led by the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), the study compared the sensitivity and specificity of Xpert MTB/RIF to the best available reference standards in the diagnosis of 1,730 patients with suspected drug-sensitive or multi drug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) at five centers in Peru, Azerbaijan, South Africa, and India. The study concluded that Cepheid's Xpert MTB/RIF - an easy-to-use molecular test developed in partnership with FIND and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), with additional funding from the National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases (NIAID) - provided sensitive and specific detection of tuberculosis and rifampin resistance (a critical marker of multidrug resistance) directly from untreated sputum specimens in less than two hours.

"One of FIND's primary goals is to help save the millions of lives needlessly lost to TB every year," said Giorgio Roscigno, chief executive officer of FIND. "Early, rapid and accurate detection of TB, including identification of drug-resistant strains, is critical to effectively treating the disease, reducing secondary resistance, stopping further transmission and saving lives. Cepheid's commitment to researching and bringing this test to market has been outstanding. This study demonstrates that Xpert MTB/RIF delivers a quantum leap in patient management to the developing world, where it is most needed. We are proud to be a part of this landmark project."

Designed for use on Cepheid's GeneXpert(R) Systems, Xpert MTB/RIF not only detects the presence of TB, but also identifies whether it is resistant to rifampin, a critical first-line drug for treatment of the disease and a reliable surrogate marker of strains that are multidrug-resistant (MDR-TB). The CE-IVD test is enabling physicians outside of the U.S. to dramatically improve patient outcomes through rapid, actionable results that guide therapy decisions within the timeframe of an initial patient visit.

"The need for accurate and rapid detection of tuberculosis for the growing at-risk populations in the developing world has been well documented," said John Bishop, Cepheid's chief executive officer. "The GeneXpert System has a unique level of technical capability - no other molecular system could have enabled a TB test as accurate, fast, and easy-to-use as Xpert MTB/RIF. Clinicians are now able to obtain dependable test results for not only detection of TB, but also simultaneous determination of whether or not it is a drug resistant strain in virtually any clinical setting."

Rapid diagnosis of TB is vital in areas such as sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia due to the close connection between HIV and TB. The most commonly used diagnostic tool in many settings is still sputum microscopy, which often delivers poor sensitivity in patients suffering from TB, delaying accurate diagnosis and treatment until culture and sensitivity testing are completed weeks later. In fact, sputum microscopy has very poor sensitivity in those who also have HIV co-infection. The weakened immune system of an HIV-positive person is particularly susceptible to infection, resulting in one third of the 33 million HIV sufferers worldwide infected with TB. Left undetected and untreated, 90 percent of these people will die within months of first contracting the disease, reinforcing the urgent need for a solution.

"The Xpert MTB/RIF test is the most technologically advanced test for TB ever developed, yet it is simple enough to perform in all corners of the world, including in resource-limited settings where it is most needed," said David H. Persing, M.D., Ph.D., Cepheid's chief medical and technology officer. "Determining simultaneously the presence of TB and drug resistance helps to eliminate guesswork and provides maximum medical value in the management of TB cases worldwide."

The NEJM study found that with a single, untreated sample Xpert MTB/RIF was 98.2 percent sensitive in patients with smear-positive (test by sputum microscopy), culture-positive TB, 99.2 percent specific in patients without TB, and 97.6 percent sensitive in patients with rifampin resistance. Further, when testing smear-negative, culture-positive samples, Xpert MTB/RIF was 90.2 percent sensitive when compared to the standard analysis of three sputum samples by microscopy and was 72.5 percent positive on a single sample.

"We designed this test so that it could be used by someone with minimal training," said UMDNJ's David Alland, M.D, who collaborated closely with Cepheid and FIND with support from the NIAID. "We're gratified to find that it requires less hands-on work than the acid fast smear, long considered the standard method to identify TB, and yet is much more sensitive."

Xpert MTB/RIF is currently available outside the U.S., marketed as a CE IVD product under the European Directive on In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices. It is currently expected to become available in the U.S. within the 2012-2013 timeframe.

About Cepheid

Based in Sunnyvale, Calif., Cepheid (CPHD, Trade ) is a leading molecular diagnostics company that is dedicated to improving healthcare by developing, manufacturing, and marketing accurate yet easy to use molecular systems and tests. By automating highly complex and time-consuming manual procedures, the company's solutions deliver a better way for institutions of any size to access the full power of molecular diagnostics. The company's systems enable rapid, sophisticated genetic testing for organisms and genetic-based diseases by automating otherwise complex manual laboratory procedures. Through its strong molecular biology capabilities, the company is focusing on those applications where accurate, rapid, and actionable test results are needed most, such as managing infectious diseases and cancer. For more information, visit http://www.cepheid.com .

About FIND

FIND is a non-profit Swiss organization established in 2003, with offices in Switzerland, Uganda and India. Its mission is to develop, evaluate, demonstrate, and accelerate the roll out of new diagnostic tests and platforms for diseases of poverty, including TB, malaria and human African trypanosomiasis. FIND's approach is to address diagnostic needs across disease areas so that tests can also be implemented at levels of the health care system closer to where patients first seek care. FIND has active collaborations with over 100 partners, including Ministries of Health, bilateral and multilateral organizations, such as WHO, research institutes/academia, commercial partners and clinical trial sites.

In addition to its contribution to diagnostic advances for TB (with four diagnostic tools endorsed by WHO into global policy since 2007), and malaria (with the completion of the first-ever product testing program for rapid diagnostic tests), FIND has a significant program targeted at neglected diseases. Current donors include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Government of the Netherlands, the European Union, UNITAID, UK Department for International Development, National Institutes of Health (USA) and others. FIND is ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 13485:2003 certified. For more information, please visit: http://www.finddiagnostics.org/ .

This press release contains forward-looking statements that are not purely historical regarding Cepheid's or its management's intentions, beliefs, expectations and strategies for the future, including those relating to product performance, future market opportunities and product release dates. Because such statements deal with future events, they are subject to various risks and uncertainties, and actual results could differ materially from the company's current expectations. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include risks and uncertainties such as those relating to: unforeseen manufacturing problems; regulatory developments and practices regarding testing; unforeseen delays in product development and commercialization activities; customer and market acceptance of the product; the failure of products to perform as fast or as accurately as expected, whether due to manufacturing errors, defects or otherwise; the impact of competitive products and pricing; potentially lengthy sales cycles in some markets; reimbursement rates for the products; and underlying market conditions worldwide. Readers should also refer to the section entitled "Risk Factors" in Cepheid's Annual Report on Form 10-K for 2009 and in its most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q, each filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

All forward-looking statements and reasons why results might differ included in this release are made as of the date of this press release, based on information currently available to Cepheid, and Cepheid assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statement or reasons why results might differ.



    CONTACTS: At Cepheid
                                                For Cepheid Investor
              For Media Inquiries:              Inquiries:
              --------------------              --------------------
              Jared Tipton                     Jacquie Ross
              Cepheid Corporate Communications Cepheid Investor Relations
              408-400-8377                     408-400-8329
              [email protected]       [email protected]







    CONTACTS:    At FIND
                 For Media Inquiries:
                 --------------------
                 Lakshmi Sundaram
                 Advocacy Officer
                 +41-79-935-6419
                 [email protected]

                 Or
                 Beatrice Gordis
                 Communications Officer
                 +41-22-710-9310
                 [email protected]





SOURCE Cepheid; FIND

[setravis]

Cepheid posts smaller-than-expected Q3 loss.......


Technicals
Close Above the 50-day MA
Close Above the 13-day MA
Gap Up
Percentage Gainer

Last Price Quote is:
8.06%above 13-day MA
12.68%above 50-day MA
RS Rating: 92 


Day's Range: 19.02 - 20.91
52wk Range: 11.93 - 21.02
Volume: 2,692,783
Avg Vol (3m): 407,300
Market Cap: 1.22B
P/E (ttm): N/A
EPS (ttm): -0.24
Div & Yield: N/A (N/A)

[setravis]

CPHD  Cepheid Reports 2010 Third Quarter Results...During the quarter, Cepheid installed a total of 125 GeneXpert systems and 756 modules. As of September 30, 2010, a cumulative total of 1,730 GeneXpert systems and 9,374 modules have been placed worldwide.

GAAP gross margin on product sales was 50% and non-GAAP gross margin on product sales was 52%, which compares to 42% and 44%, respectively, in the third quarter of 2009.

Cash and cash equivalents were $65.2 million as of September 30, 2010.

DSO was 41 days.

Business Outlook

For the fiscal year ending December 31, 2010, the company expects:

Total revenue to be in the range of $207 to $210 million;

Net loss in the range of $(0.17) to $(0.14) per share;

Non-GAAP net income in the range of $0.13 to $0.16 per share.

Expected non-GAAP net income excludes approximately $16.5 million related to stock-based compensation expense and approximately $2 million related to the amortization of acquired intangibles. The fully diluted non-GAAP share count for the year is expected to be approximately 64 million, higher than the expected GAAP share count of 60 million due to the dilutive effect of stock options which are excluded from fully diluted GAAP shares due to the loss.

Accessing Cepheid's Q310 Results Conference Call

The company will host a management presentation at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Thursday, October 21, 2010 to discuss the results. To access the live webcast, please visit Cepheid's website at www.cepheid.com/investors at least 15 minutes before the scheduled start time to download any necessary audio or plug-in software. A replay of the webcast will be available shortly following the call and will remain available for at least 90 days.

Interested participants may also listen to the live teleconference call by dialing (866) 788-0538 or (857) 350-1676, and entering participant code 51795047. A replay will be available for seven days beginning at 4 p.m. Pacific Time. Access numbers for this replay are (888) 286-8010 or (617) 801-6888, with passcode 72854495.

About Cepheid

Based in Sunnyvale, Calif., Cepheid (CPHD) is an on-demand molecular diagnostics company that develops, manufactures, and markets fully-integrated systems and tests for genetic analysis in the clinical, industrial and biothreat markets. The company's systems enable rapid, sophisticated genetic testing for organisms and genetic-based diseases by automating otherwise complex manual laboratory procedures. The company's easy-to-use systems integrate a number of complicated and time-intensive steps, including sample preparation, DNA amplification and detection, which enable the analysis of complex biological samples in its proprietary test cartridges. Through its strong molecular biology capabilities, the company is focusing on those applications where rapid molecular testing is particularly important, such as identifying infectious disease and cancer in the clinical market; food, agricultural, and environmental testing in the industrial market; and identifying bio-terrorism agents in the biothreat market. See www.cepheid.com for more information.



SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct 21, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Cepheid (CPHD) today reported revenue for the third quarter of 2010 of $56.1 million. Net loss was $1.1 million, or $(0.02) per share, which compares to revenue of $41.6 million and a net loss of $3.8 million, or $(0.07) per share, in the third quarter of 2009.

Excluding amortization of purchased intangible assets and employee stock-based compensation expense, non-GAAP net income for the third quarter was $3.7 million, or $0.06 per share. This compares to a non-GAAP net loss of $0.1 million, or $(0.00) per share, in the third quarter of 2009.

"Cepheid continues to make solid progress on its two-pronged strategy to establish the GeneXpert(R) System as the molecular platform of choice while also working steadily towards sustainable profitability," said John Bishop, Cepheid's Chief Executive Officer. "With another record quarter of revenue and bottom line performance behind us, we continue to expect strong growth in our Healthcare Associated Infection test and critical infectious disease portfolio, while our aggressive investment in our test pipeline extends Cepheid's addressable opportunity into women's health, viral infectious diseases, and oncology."