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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date of Report (Date of Earliest Event Reported) April 17, 1998
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INTERNATIONAL MUREX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
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(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
Province of British Columbia, Canada
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(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)
0-26144 N/A
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(Commission File Number) (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
2255 B. Queen Street, East, Suite 828, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4E 1G3
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(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
(519) 836-8016
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(Registrant's Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
Not Applicable
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(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)
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Item 1. Changes in Control of Registrant
Pursuant to an Acquisition Agreement dated as of March 13, 1998
among International Murex Technologies Corporation (the "Company"), Abbott
Laboratories ("Abbott") and AAC Acquisition Ltd., an indirect wholly-owned
subsidiary of Abbott ("Acquisition"), on March 20, 1998, Acquisition
commenced a tender offer (the "Offer") to purchase all of the outstanding
common shares, without par value (the "Shares") of the Company for $13.00
per Share. The offer expired on April 16, 1998. On April 17, 1998,
Acquisition accepted for payment all of the 16,174,162 Shares which were
validly tendered and not previously withdrawn in response to the Offer. As
a result of the consummation of the Offer, Acquisition became the
beneficial owner of 96.00% of the outstanding Shares.
As promptly as possible, Abbott and Acquisition intend to exercise
Acquisition's statutory right to acquire all of the Shares not purchased by
Acquisition in the Offer pursuant to a compulsory acquisition for $13.00
per Share.
Acquisition obtained all funds required by it from Abbott. Abbott
obtained all required funds from borrowings at market interest rates.
Upon Acquisition's acceptance for payment of the Shares in the Offer,
George Brazier, The Honorable J. Trevor Eyton, O.C., Thomas L. Gavan, M.D.,
Norbert J. Gilmore, Ph.D, M.D., Jay A. Lefton, Hartland M. MacDougall, CVO,
O.C., Stanley E. Read, Ph.D, M.D. and Victor A. Rice each resigned from the
Board of Directors of the Company and Christopher Bleck, Thomas D. Brown,
Peter J. O'Callaghan, Jeffrey L. Smith, Gordon T. Warriner and Miles D.
White, each a designee of Abbott and Acquisition, were elected to the
Company's Board of Directors.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf
by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
INTERNATIONAL MUREX TECHNOLOGIES
CORPORATION
Dated: May 1, 1998 By: /s/ Jill A. Gilmer
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Jill A. Gilmer
Secretary
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