GEN-PROBE REPORTS SECOND QUARTER 2003 FINANCIAL RESULTS.

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SAN DIEGO, Calif., July 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall-AsiaNet/ --

Record Revenues and Profits Fueled by Increase in All Major Categories of Revenue

Gen-Probe Incorporated (Nasdaq: GPRO) today reported its financial results for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2003. Total revenues for the second quarter of 2003 were $50.7 million compared to $34.9 million for the second quarter of 2002, an increase of 45 per cent. Product sales for the second quarter of 2003 were $46.3 million, compared to .8 million for the second quarter of 2002, an increase of 55 per cent. Net income for the second quarter was $8.1 million, or $0.34 per diluted share, compared to net income of $550 thousand, or $0.02 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2002.

For the first six months of 2003, the Company's revenues were $96.9 million, compared to $68.6 million for the same period in 2002, an increase of 41 per cent. Net income for the first six months of 2003 was $16.8 million, compared to a net income of $3.6 million for the same period in 2002. This represents an increase of 367 per cent.

Net income for the second quarter of 2003 was favorably affected by an increase in blood screening product sales and higher than anticipated collaborative research revenues relating to the development of the Ultrio(TM) combination test for the HIV-1, hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV).

"The second quarter results demonstrate strong year to year revenue growth in both our blood screening and clinical diagnostics businesses," said Henry L. Nordhoff, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Gen-Probe. "We accomplished two important milestones this quarter with the initiation of the TIGRIS(TM) DTS(TM) System clinical trial, which we completed shortly after the close of the quarter, and the introduction of the West Nile virus (WNV) blood screening assay under an investigational new drug (IND) application. We remain on track to commence clinical trials of the Ultrio(TM) Assay before the end of 2003, which we expect to be available internationally in 2004."