Ortho Clinical Diagnostics (now QuidelOrtho) is an

in vitro diagnostics A medical test is a medical procedure performed to detect, diagnose, or monitor diseases, disease processes, susceptibility, or to determine a course of treatment. Medical tests such as, physical and visual exams, diagnostic imaging, genetic ...

company that made products and diagnostic equipment for

blood testing A blood test is a laboratory analysis performed on a blood sample that is usually extracted from a vein in the arm using a hypodermic needle, or via fingerprick. Multiple tests for specific blood components, such as a glucose test or a choleste ...

. Ortho served two primary industries in the medical field: clinical laboratories, by producing platforms and assays that test for a variety of diseases, conditions, and substances; and

immunohematology Immunohematology is a branch of hematology and transfusion medicine which studies antigen-antibody reactions and analogous phenomena as they relate to the pathogenesis and clinical manifestations of blood disorders. A person employed in this field ...

, by providing the means to ensure blood transfusion recipients receive appropriate and compatible blood.
Johnson and Johnson acquired

Eastman Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company, referred to simply as Kodak (), is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in film photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorporated i ...

's Clinical Diagnostics Division in 1994 (to form Johnson & Johnson Clinical Diagnostics), which was then merged with Ortho Diagnostic Systems in 1997. QuidelOrtho's global corporate offices are in

Raritan, New Jersey Raritan is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 7,835, its highest decennial census count ever and an ...

, while their global research and development center is in

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

. In 2014,

The Carlyle Group The Carlyle Group Inc. is an American multinational company with operations in private equity, alternative asset management and financial services. As of 2023, the company had $426 billion of assets under management. Carlyle specializes in ...

purchased the company from

Johnson & Johnson Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is an American multinational pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical technologies corporation headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Its common stock is a c ...

for $4.15 billion. Ortho Clinical Diagnostics now operated as an independent company, up until its acquisition by Quidel Corporation for $6 billion, on May 27, 2022.

History

1939: Ortho Products, Inc., is formed in Linden, New Jersey, as a division of

. 1944: Philip Levine, in the field of

hematology Hematology (American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, spelled haematology in British English) is the branch of medicine concerned with the study of the cause, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to bloo ...

, joins Ortho Products to continue his research into the mechanics of the Rh system in human blood. 1997: Ortho Diagnostics Systems and Johnson & Johnson Clinical Diagnostics merge and begin operating as Ortho Clinical Diagnostics. 2001: Ortho becomes the first diagnostic company to receive US FDA approval for automated random access

hepatitis Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver parenchyma, liver tissue. Some people or animals with hepatitis have no symptoms, whereas others develop yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice), Anorexia (symptom), poor appetite ...

tests. 2006: Ortho launches the first FDA-licensed test to screen blood donations for exposure to

Chagas disease Chagas disease, also known as American trypanosomiasis, is a tropical parasitic disease caused by ''Trypanosoma cruzi''. It is spread mostly by insects in the subfamily Triatominae, known as "kissing bugs". The symptoms change throughout the ...

. 2014:

acquires Ortho Clinical Diagnostics for $4.15 billion. 2015: Ortho receives

FDA The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...

clearance for its ORTHO VISION Analyzer, which automates the full range of immunohematology testing and helps improve the safety of

blood transfusions Blood transfusion is the process of transferring blood products into a person's circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used for various medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood. Early transfusions used whole blood, but ...

by reducing laboratories' reliance on manual methods. 2017:

approves Ortho's HIV Combo test for the Vitros immunodiagnostic system. The test detects both HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibodies and the p24 antigen, and enables detection of HIV-1 acute infection earlier than previous assays. 2021: Quidel announced it would acquire Ortho Clinical Diagnostics Holdings for $6 billion in cash and stock, increasing the range of COVID-19 antigen and antibody tests the business is able to offer.

Business operations

Ortho produces in-vitro diagnostics equipment and associated assays and reagents, serving the clinical laboratories and

sectors of the medical field.
Ortho sells its products in more than 125 countries and is targeting

emerging markets An emerging market (or an emerging country or an emerging economy) is a market that has some characteristics of a developed market, but does not fully meet its standards. This includes markets that may become developed markets in the future or we ...

for future growth.

References

External links

* {{Official website 1994 establishments in New Jersey Companies based in New Jersey American companies established in 1994 Medical technology companies of the United States Medical tests Technology companies based in New Jersey The Carlyle Group companies