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Exhibit 99(a)(8)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Kimberly Cooper
(732) 906-3802
[email protected]
SIEMENS RECEIVES GERMAN CLEARANCE FOR ACUSON ACQUISITION
Erlangen, Germany -- On October 11, 2000, the Medical Engineering Group of
Siemens AG received notification of clearance from the German Federal
Cartel Office to proceed with the completion of Siemens' offer to purchase
all of the outstanding shares of common stock (and associated rights) of
Acuson at $23.00 per share and the proposed merger of Acuson into a wholly
owned subsidiary of Siemens. This satisfies an important condition of
Siemens' purchase of any Acuson shares tendered in the offer. Siemens'
completion of the offer remains conditioned upon, among other things, the
expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under U.S.
antitrust law.
Siemens' Medical Engineering Group (Med) is one of the largest global
suppliers in the healthcare sector. The Group is renowned for its
innovative products, services and complete solutions, ranging from imaging
systems for diagnostics and therapy products for treatment to
electromedicine and hearing instruments to IT solutions that optimize
workflow and increase efficiency in hospitals, clinics and doctors'
offices. Med's recent acquisition of Shared Medical Systems (1999 sales:
US$ 1.2 billion) has enabled the company to further strengthen its
expertise in services - especially as an application service provider - and
in IT solutions in the healthcare sector. Excluding Shared Medical Systems,
in fiscal 1999, Siemens' Medical Engineering Group had new orders of
approximately
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US$4 billion (DM 8.1 billion), sales of US$4 billion (DM 8.0 billion) and
employed approximately 19,000 worldwide.
This release contains forward-looking statements, including statements about
future business operations, financial performance and market conditions.
Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties inherent in
business forecasts. This release is neither an offer to purchase nor a
solicitation of an offer to sell securities of Acuson Corporation. The
tender offer is being made solely by an offer to purchase and related
letter of transmittal disseminated upon the commencement of the tender
offer and amended from time to time. Shareholders of Acuson Corporation
should read the tender offer statement because it contains important
information. These documents are available to Acuson shareholders at no
charge and are also available for free at the SEC's web site
(http://www.sec.gov).
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