Franklin Lakes, NJ (August 31, 1999) --

Contacts:

Ronald Jasper
Director, Investor Relations
BD
201.847.7160

Peer M. Schatz
Chief Financial Officer
QIAGEN N.V.
011.49.2103.892.702

QIAGEN N.V. (Nasdaq: QGENF, Frankfurt Neuer Markt: QIA) and Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE: BDX) today announced their agreement to form an equally-owned, worldwide joint venture in the area of sample collection and processing for molecular diagnostic testing.

The purpose of the Swiss-based joint venture, named PreAnalytiX GmbH, will be to develop, manufacture, and market integrated systems for the collection, stabilization, and purification of nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) for molecular diagnostic testing. It is expected that PreAnalytiX will launch its first product in late 2000.

"As molecular diagnostic testing moves into the clinical laboratory environment, products used to collect and process samples will need to be standardized," said Rick Brajer, Worldwide President, BD Preanalytical Solutions. "Safe, easy-to-use products that are compatible with clinical laboratory practices must be developed to eliminate the complexity of DNA and RNA processing. These standardized products are expected to significantly improve specimen quality and enhance the accuracy of test results. We believe the shared vision and synergies between BD and QIAGEN will enable PreAnalytiX to develop unique preanalytical solutions that will benefit the entire diagnostic industry."

"This is a very significant alliance for QIAGEN," said Dr. Metin Colpan, QIAGEN's Chief Executive Officer. "Our customers are faced with the challenging tasks of collecting, stabilizing and purifying nucleic acid samples prior to analysis. PreAnalytiX will soon offer innovative solutions for these challenges. PreAnalytiX's objective is to offer a standardized, integrated, and optimized package to prepare and deliver ready-to-use nucleic acids for any molecular test." Dr. Helge Bastian, Business Unit Manager Molecular Diagnostics at QIAGEN added, "We are excited about the opportunities created by this combination of BD's leadership in sample collection and QIAGEN's leadership in nucleic acid stabilization and purification. We believe the diagnostic industry will consider our systems a significant step forward, as they will provide a level of standardization and reliability not previously available."

QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands holding company with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, France, Australia and Canada, believes it is the world's leading provider of innovative enabling technologies and products for the separation, purification and handling of nucleic acids. The Company has developed a comprehensive portfolio of more than 280 proprietary, consumable products for nucleic acid separation, purification and handling, nucleic acid amplification, as well as automated instrumentation and related services. QIAGEN's products are sold in more than 42 countries throughout the world to academic research markets and also to leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. In addition, the Company is positioning its products for sale into developing commercial markets, including DNA sequencing and genomics, nucleic acid-based molecular diagnostics, and genetic vaccination and gene therapy. QIAGEN employs approximately 830 people worldwide. Further information on QIAGEN and the joint venture described in this press release can be obtained at www.qiagen.com.

BD manufactures and sells a broad range of medical supplies and devices and diagnostic systems for use by health care professionals, medical research institutions and the general public. For the fiscal year ended September 30, 1998, BD had total revenues of $3.1 billion and net income of $236 million.