NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Danaher said today that it plans to acquire Cepheid for nearly $4 billion in cash. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year.

Under the terms of the merger agreement, Danaher will acquire all of Cepheid's outstanding stock for $53.00 per share, a 54 percent premium to Friday's close. Including Cepheid's indebtedness, this represents a total enterprise value of approximately $4 billion.