Qiagen advances the German cause; Conditions ripe for a Swiss start-up

Qiagen GmbH, which earlier this month went public on NASDAQ, provided proof of principle that a German company could present itself credibly to do a mainstream public offering in the U.S., and that American investors would invest in German-based biotech companies.

The Hilden-based company develops and sells technology to separate and purify nucleic acids, operating subsidiaries in four countries, including the U.S. In presenting an attractive story to U.S. investors, QGENF demonstrated characteristics that may provide some guideposts about the qualities that may help European companies successfully float shares in the U.S...