Air Liquide: Homecare Acquisition in France

Regulatory News:

Air Liquide (Paris:AI), number one in the European homecare market, has just completed the 100% acquisition of DinnoSanté, a company that specializes in medical-technical services for diabetes.

DinnoSanté is a French company with 90 employees which specializes in the equipment and home monitoring of patients with diabetes. It supplies nearly 2,300 chronic diabetes patients with equipment designed to facilitate their lives, including insulin pumps and glucose meters, and supporting them with personalized training and regular follow-up.

Diabetes is a major chronic illness whose development is in large part linked to changes in lifestyle as well as an aging population. In France, more than 2.5 million people are being treated for diabetes, a figure that is constantly rising. Advances in treatment technologies and the growing use of insulin pumps help to improve the quality of life of the patients by giving them greater mobility as well as greater flexibility of use.

This acquisition reinforces Air Liquide’s offer in taking charge of pathologies that are treatable at home: sleep apnea (frequent in patients with diabetes), chronic respiratory disease, etc.

Pascal Vinet, Vice-President, Healthcare World Business Line and Healthcare Operations, Air Liquide Group, commented: “This new Healthcare acquisition illustrates our development strategy which seeks to strengthen our global range of services related to homecare treatments. Health is a solid and promising growth driver for the Air Liquide Group.”

Air Liquide’s Healthcare Business

Air Liquide’s Healthcare World Business Line serves over 6,000 hospitals and 500,000 patients throughout the world.

It provides gases, hygiene products and medical equipment to its hospital customers and homecare to patients in cities.

The Group’s Healthcare business made € 1,700 million in revenues in 2008, 63% outside France with 7,800 employees.

Homecare

Air Liquide, number one in the European homecare market, provides prescription care for patients diagnosed with chronic illnesses such as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and sleep apnea. These homecare treatments are being developed in addition to hospital care, enabling patients to enjoy better quality of life and local authorities to reduce costs.

Homecare represents 42% of Air Liquide’s total 2008 Healthcare revenue.

Air Liquide is the world leader in gases for industry, health and the environment, and is present in over 75 countries with 43,000 employees. Oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen and rare gases have been at the core of Air Liquide’s activities since its creation in 1902. Using these molecules, Air Liquide continuously reinvents its business, anticipating the needs of current and future markets. The Group innovates to enable progress, to achieve dynamic growth and a consistent performance.

Innovative technologies that curb polluting emissions, lower industry’s energy use, recover and reuse natural resources or develop the energies of tomorrow, such as hydrogen, biofuels or photovoltaic energy… Oxygen for hospitals, homecare, fighting nosocomial infections… Air Liquide combines many products and technologies to develop valuable applications and services not only for its customers but also for society.

A partner for the long term, Air Liquide relies on employee commitment, customer trust and shareholder support to pursue its vision of sustainable, competitive growth. The diversity of Air Liquide’s teams, businesses, markets and geographic presence provides a solid and sustainable base for its development and strengthens its ability to push back its own limits, conquer new territories and build its future.

Air Liquide explores the best that air can offer to preserve life, staying true to its sustainable development approach. In 2008, the Group’s revenues amounted to €13.1 billion, of which almost 80% were earned outside France. Air Liquide is listed on the Paris Euronext stock exchange (compartment A) and is a member of the CAC 40 and Dow Jones Euro Stoxx 50 indexes.

www.airliquide.com