Abbott Laboratories said it has agreed to acquire Israel-based Starlims Technologies for $123 million to boost its position in the global diagnostics market. The acquisition will give Abbott Starlims' advanced web-based applications to help laboratories store, retrieve and analyze clinical, managerial and administrative data, the company said. The Starlims line "will provide Abbott with leading products to build upon existing technologies and expertise in the emerging field of healthcare informatics," Edward Michael, Abbott's executive vice president for diagnostics products, said in a statement. Illinois-based Abbott said it expects the transaction to close in the first quarter of 2010 and that it will not impact its 2009 earnings forecast.