MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

OPKO Health, Inc. (Nasdaq: OPK) announces the appointment of Jane Pine Wood, Esq. as Chief Legal and Compliance Officer of its wholly owned subsidiary, BioReference Laboratories, effective October 1, 2016.

Ms. Wood is a nationally respected healthcare attorney who has been practicing law for 29 years. She specializes in laboratory regulatory and compliance matters, and has counseled more than 500 pathology groups and 350 clinical laboratories. For the past 28 years she has been with the multi-state law firm McDonald Hopkins LLC, where she is a member of the firm’s board of directors. Ms. Wood is a frequent speaker at national and state laboratory and pathology meetings, is a contributor to association publications and is regularly quoted in the national press. Ms. Wood graduated from the Vanderbilt University School of Law.

"We are delighted to welcome Jane to the BioReference Laboratories team. She has a distinguished legal career, having counseled a multitude of pathology practices and clinical laboratories across the country; she is considered one of the leading legal experts in the field. Her diverse experience and insight on matters impacting the diagnostics and laboratory industries will be of great value as we continue to deliver high quality diagnostic services to improve patient care," said Gregory S. Henderson, M.D., Ph.D., President of BioReference Laboratories.

About BioReference Laboratories, Inc.

BioReference Laboratories is one of the largest and fastest growing full-service diagnostic laboratories in the world, providing clinical testing services to physician offices, clinics, hospitals, long-term care facilities and employers while also advancing drug discovery and development with disease foundations, academic and pharmaceutical partners. BioReference's comprehensive testing capabilities and expertise spans molecular diagnostics, anatomical pathology, women's health, oncology and rare disease genetics. For more information, visit www.bioreference.com.

About OPKO Health

OPKO Health, Inc. is a diversified healthcare company that seeks to establish industry-leading positions in large, rapidly growing markets. Our diagnostics business includes BioReference Laboratories, the third-largest clinical laboratory in the U.S. with a core genetic testing business and a 420-person sales force to drive growth and sell new products, such as the 4Kscore® prostate cancer test and the Claros® 1 in office immunoassay platform. Our pharmaceutical business features RAYALDEE®, an FDA-approved treatment for stage 3-4 CKD patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism and vitamin D insufficiency, and VARUBI™ for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (oral formulation launched by partner Tesaro and IV formulation PDUFA is January 2017). Our biologics products under development are hGH-CTP, a once-weekly human growth hormone for injection (partnered with Pfizer), long-acting Factor VIIa for hemophilia (in Phase 2a) and a long-acting oxyntomodulin for diabetes and obesity (in Phase 1). OPKO has production and distribution assets in several countries abroad, strategic investments and an active business development strategy. More information is available at www.opko.com.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements," as that term is defined under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA), which statements may be identified by words such as "expects," "plans," "projects," "will," "may," "anticipates," "believes," "should," "intends," "estimates," and other words of similar meaning, including statements regarding our ability to generate or accelerate growth at BioReference, our ability to transition and transform the diagnostics and laboratory industry or improve patient care through BioReference, our ability to commercialize important new products, and BioReference's or OPKO's ability to deliver high-value or innovative new testing to clinicians and patients, as well as other non-historical statements about our expectations, beliefs or intentions regarding our business, technologies and products, financial condition, strategies or prospects. Many factors could cause our actual activities or results to differ materially from the activities and results anticipated in forward-looking statements. These factors include those described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as the risks inherent in funding, developing and obtaining regulatory approvals of new, commercially-viable and competitive products and treatments. In addition, forward-looking statements may also be adversely affected by general market factors, competitive product development, product availability, federal and state regulations and legislation, challenges relating to integration of BioReference, including management changes, the regulatory process for new products and indications, manufacturing issues that may arise, patent positions and litigation, among other factors. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date the statements were made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements. We intend that all forward-looking statements be subject to the safe-harbor provisions of the PSLRA.

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