QIAGEN Exchange Offer for Digene Corporation Expired With Significant Over 90% of Shares Tendered

    VENLO, The Netherlands, July 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- QIAGEN N.V.
 (Nasdaq:   QGEN; Frankfurt, Prime Standard: QIA) today announced that its
 offer to exchange cash and stock for all outstanding shares of Digene
 Corporation (Nasdaq:   DIGE) expired as scheduled at 11:59 p.m., New York
 City time, on Friday, July 20, 2007. All conditions of the exchange offer
 have either been satisfied or waived, and QIAGEN intends to accept all
 tendered shares. Preliminary tabulations indicate that the number of shares
 tendered constituted well in excess of 90% of the outstanding stock.
 Accordingly, QIAGEN intends to complete its acquisition of Digene by
 effectuating a merger without the approval of the Digene stockholders, as
 permitted under Delaware law, promptly after its acceptance of the shares.
 Pro-ration calculations will be announced when completed, and payment for
 the Digene shares will be made as soon as practicable.
     As previously announced, QIAGEN received the vote of the necessary
 percentage of its shareholders in favor of the acquisition of Digene at
 QIAGEN's Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders held on Friday, July
 20, 2007, in The Netherlands. Additionally, the antitrust waiting period
 required under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976
 expired at 11:59 pm EDT on July 16, with respect to the previously
 announced merger of the two companies.
     About QIAGEN
     QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands holding company is the leading provider of
 innovative sample and assay technologies and products. QIAGEN's products
 are considered standards in areas such as pre-analytical sample preparation
 and assay solutions in research for life sciences, applied testing and
 molecular diagnostics. QIAGEN has developed a comprehensive portfolio of
 more than 500 proprietary, consumable products and automated solutions for
 sample collection, nucleic acid and protein handling, separation, and
 purification and open and target specific assays. The company's products
 are sold to academic research markets, to leading pharmaceutical and
 biotechnology companies, to applied testing customers (such as in
 forensics, veterinary, biodefense and industrial applications) as well as
 to molecular diagnostics laboratories. QIAGEN employs more than 1,900
 people worldwide. QIAGEN products are sold through a dedicated sales force
 and a global network of distributors in more than 40 countries. In this
 press release QIAGEN is using the term molecular diagnostics. The use of
 this term is in reference to certain countries, such as the United States,
 limited to products subject to regulatory requirements. Current QIAGEN
 molecular diagnostics products are 34 EU CE IVD assays, six EU CE IVD
 sample preparation products, one 510k PAX RNA product, nine China SFDA IVD
 assays and 98 general purpose reagents. Further information about QIAGEN
 can be found at www.qiagen.com.
     Forward-Looking Statements
     This communication contains certain forward-looking statements,
 including a statement concerning the month in which the parties expect to
 complete the transaction. These forward-looking statements are based on
 management's current expectations and estimates and involve risks and
 uncertainties that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ
 materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements.
 Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences may include, but
 are not limited to, the risk that the conditions relating to the required
 minimum tender of Digene shares or regulatory clearance might not be
 satisfied in a timely manner or at all, risks relating to the integration
 of the technologies and businesses of QIAGEN and Digene, unanticipated
 expenditures, changing relationships with customers, suppliers and
 strategic partners, conditions of the economy and other factors described
 in the most recent reports on Form 20-F, Form 6-K and other periodic
 reports filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission
 by QIAGEN and the most recent reports on Form 10-K, Form 10-Q, Form 8-K and
 other periodic reports filed by Digene with the Securities and Exchange
 Commission.
     Additional Information
     This announcement is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of
 an offer to sell shares of Digene.
     QIAGEN has filed a Registration Statement on Form F-4, as amended, and
 a Schedule TO, as amended, and Digene has filed a
 Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9, as amended, with
 the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the transaction.
 QIAGEN and Digene have commenced an exchange offer and mailed a Prospectus,
 which is part of the Registration Statement on Form F-4, the
 Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9 and related
 exchange offer materials, including a letter of election and transmittal,
 to shareholders of Digene. These documents contain important information
 about the transaction and should be read before any decision is made with
 respect to the exchange offer. Investors and stockholders may obtain free
 copies of these documents through the website maintained by the Securities
 and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov. Free copies of these documents may
 also be obtained from QIAGEN, by directing a request to QIAGEN's IR
 department at QIAGEN Strasse 1, 40724 Hilden, Germany, or from Digene, by
 directing a request to Digene at 1201 Clopper Road, Gaithersburg, MD,
 20878.
     In addition to the Registration Statement on Form F-4, as amended, the
 Schedule TO, as amended, Prospectus, Solicitation/Recommendation Statement
 on Schedule 14D-9, as amended, and related exchange offer materials, both
 QIAGEN and Digene file or furnish annual, quarterly and special reports,
 proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange
 Commission. You may read and copy any reports, statements or other
 information filed or furnished by QIAGEN or Digene at the Securities and
 Exchange Commission's Public Reference Room at Station Place, 100 F Street,
 N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You can request copies of these documents by
 writing to the Securities and Exchange Commission and paying a fee for the
 copying cost. Please call the Securities and Exchange Commission at
 1-800-SEC-0330 for more information about the operation of the Public
 Reference Room. QIAGEN's and Digene's SEC filings are also available to the
 public at the Securities and Exchange Commission's web site at
 http://www.sec.gov, or at their web sites at www.qiagen.com or
 www.digene.com.

SOURCE QIAGEN NV


    VENLO, The Netherlands, July 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- QIAGEN N.V.
 (Nasdaq:   QGEN; Frankfurt, Prime Standard: QIA) today announced that its
 offer to exchange cash and stock for all outstanding shares of Digene
 Corporation (Nasdaq:   DIGE) expired as scheduled at 11:59 p.m., New York
 City time, on Friday, July 20, 2007. All conditions of the exchange offer
 have either been satisfied or waived, and QIAGEN intends to accept all
 tendered shares. Preliminary tabulations indicate that the number of shares
 tendered constituted well in excess of 90% of the outstanding stock.
 Accordingly, QIAGEN intends to complete its acquisition of Digene by
 effectuating a merger without the approval of the Digene stockholders, as
 permitted under Delaware law, promptly after its acceptance of the shares.
 Pro-ration calculations will be announced when completed, and payment for
 the Digene shares will be made as soon as practicable.
     As previously announced, QIAGEN received the vote of the necessary
 percentage of its shareholders in favor of the acquisition of Digene at
 QIAGEN's Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders held on Friday, July
 20, 2007, in The Netherlands. Additionally, the antitrust waiting period
 required under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976
 expired at 11:59 pm EDT on July 16, with respect to the previously
 announced merger of the two companies.
     About QIAGEN
     QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands holding company is the leading provider of
 innovative sample and assay technologies and products. QIAGEN's products
 are considered standards in areas such as pre-analytical sample preparation
 and assay solutions in research for life sciences, applied testing and
 molecular diagnostics. QIAGEN has developed a comprehensive portfolio of
 more than 500 proprietary, consumable products and automated solutions for
 sample collection, nucleic acid and protein handling, separation, and
 purification and open and target specific assays. The company's products
 are sold to academic research markets, to leading pharmaceutical and
 biotechnology companies, to applied testing customers (such as in
 forensics, veterinary, biodefense and industrial applications) as well as
 to molecular diagnostics laboratories. QIAGEN employs more than 1,900
 people worldwide. QIAGEN products are sold through a dedicated sales force
 and a global network of distributors in more than 40 countries. In this
 press release QIAGEN is using the term molecular diagnostics. The use of
 this term is in reference to certain countries, such as the United States,
 limited to products subject to regulatory requirements. Current QIAGEN
 molecular diagnostics products are 34 EU CE IVD assays, six EU CE IVD
 sample preparation products, one 510k PAX RNA product, nine China SFDA IVD
 assays and 98 general purpose reagents. Further information about QIAGEN
 can be found at www.qiagen.com.
     Forward-Looking Statements
     This communication contains certain forward-looking statements,
 including a statement concerning the month in which the parties expect to
 complete the transaction. These forward-looking statements are based on
 management's current expectations and estimates and involve risks and
 uncertainties that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ
 materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements.
 Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences may include, but
 are not limited to, the risk that the conditions relating to the required
 minimum tender of Digene shares or regulatory clearance might not be
 satisfied in a timely manner or at all, risks relating to the integration
 of the technologies and businesses of QIAGEN and Digene, unanticipated
 expenditures, changing relationships with customers, suppliers and
 strategic partners, conditions of the economy and other factors described
 in the most recent reports on Form 20-F, Form 6-K and other periodic
 reports filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission
 by QIAGEN and the most recent reports on Form 10-K, Form 10-Q, Form 8-K and
 other periodic reports filed by Digene with the Securities and Exchange
 Commission.
     Additional Information
     This announcement is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of
 an offer to sell shares of Digene.
     QIAGEN has filed a Registration Statement on Form F-4, as amended, and
 a Schedule TO, as amended, and Digene has filed a
 Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9, as amended, with
 the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the transaction.
 QIAGEN and Digene have commenced an exchange offer and mailed a Prospectus,
 which is part of the Registration Statement on Form F-4, the
 Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9 and related
 exchange offer materials, including a letter of election and transmittal,
 to shareholders of Digene. These documents contain important information
 about the transaction and should be read before any decision is made with
 respect to the exchange offer. Investors and stockholders may obtain free
 copies of these documents through the website maintained by the Securities
 and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov. Free copies of these documents may
 also be obtained from QIAGEN, by directing a request to QIAGEN's IR
 department at QIAGEN Strasse 1, 40724 Hilden, Germany, or from Digene, by
 directing a request to Digene at 1201 Clopper Road, Gaithersburg, MD,
 20878.
     In addition to the Registration Statement on Form F-4, as amended, the
 Schedule TO, as amended, Prospectus, Solicitation/Recommendation Statement
 on Schedule 14D-9, as amended, and related exchange offer materials, both
 QIAGEN and Digene file or furnish annual, quarterly and special reports,
 proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange
 Commission. You may read and copy any reports, statements or other
 information filed or furnished by QIAGEN or Digene at the Securities and
 Exchange Commission's Public Reference Room at Station Place, 100 F Street,
 N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You can request copies of these documents by
 writing to the Securities and Exchange Commission and paying a fee for the
 copying cost. Please call the Securities and Exchange Commission at
 1-800-SEC-0330 for more information about the operation of the Public
 Reference Room. QIAGEN's and Digene's SEC filings are also available to the
 public at the Securities and Exchange Commission's web site at
 http://www.sec.gov, or at their web sites at www.qiagen.com or
 www.digene.com.
 
 SOURCE QIAGEN NV