As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 28, 1995. Registration No. 33-__________ _________________________________________________________________ SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 _________________________________ FORM S-8 REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 __________________________________ Incorporated MERIDIAN DIAGNOSTICS, INC. I.R.S. Employer Under the Laws 3471 RIVER HILLS DRIVE Identification No. of Ohio CINCINNATI, OHIO 45244 31-0888197 _________________________________ MERIDIAN DIAGNOSTICS, INC. SAVINGS AND INVESTMENT PLAN Robert E. Coletti, Esq. Keating, Muething & Klekamp One East Fourth Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 (513) 579-6411 (Agent for Service of Process) CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE _________________________________________________________________ Proposed Proposed Title of Maximum Maximum Amount Securities Amount Offering Aggregate of To Be To Be Price Offering Registra- Registered Registered Per Share Price tion Fee ___________ _________ _________ _________ _________ Common 150,000* $10.6875** $1,603,125** $553.00*** Stock, Shares No par value* _________________________________________________________________ * This Registration Statement is filed for up to 150,000 shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to the Meridian Diagnostics, Inc. Savings and Investment Plan (the "Plan"). In addition, this Registration Statement also covers an indeterminate amount of interests offered or sold pursuant to the Plan. ** Estimated solely for purposes of calculating registration fee. *** Registration fee has been calculated pursuant to Rule 457(h) based on the average of the high and low prices of the Common Stock quoted on The NASDAQ Stock Market on December 26, 1995 of $10.6875 per share. PART II INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference The following documents filed by Meridian Diagnostics, Inc. (the "Company" or the "Registrant") with the Securities and Exchange Commission are incorporated herein by reference and made a part hereof: 1. The Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 1995. 2. The description of the Company's Common Stock contained in a Registration Statement on Form 8-A, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 15, 1986 and amended August 20, 1986. All reports and other documents subsequently filed by the Company pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, prior to the filing of a post- effective amendment which indicates that all Common Stock offered has been sold or which deregisters all Common Stock then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing such documents. Item 4. Description of Securities Not Applicable. Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel The legality of the Common Stock offered hereby will be passed upon for the Company by Keating, Muething & Klekamp, 1800 Provident Tower, One East Fourth Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. Gary P. Kreider, a Director of the Company, is a partner of Keating, Muething & Klekamp. Attorneys of Keating, Muething & Klekamp own 30,135 shares of the Company's Common Stock. Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers Section 1701.13(E) of the Ohio General Corporation Law allows indemnification by Meridian Diagnostics, Inc. to any person made or threatened to be made a party to any proceedings, other than a proceeding by or in the right of Meridian Diagnostics, Inc., by reason of the fact that he is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of Meridian Diagnostics, Inc., against expenses, including judgments and fines, if he acted in good faith and in a manner reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of Meridian Diagnostics, Inc., and, with respect to criminal actions, in which he had no reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful. Similar provisions apply to actions brought by or in the right of Meridian Diagnostics, Inc., except that no indemnification shall be made in such cases when the person shall have been adjudged to be liable for negligence or misconduct to Meridian Diagnostics, Inc., unless deemed by the court. The right to indemnification is mandatory in the case of a director or officer who is wholly-successful on the merits. Permissive indemnification is to be made by a court of competent jurisdiction, the majority vote of a quorum of disinterested directors, the written opinion of independent counsel or by the shareholders. The Company's Code or Regulations provides that the Company shall indemnify such persons to the fullest extent permitted by law. The Registrant maintains director and officer liability insurance which provides coverage against certain liabilities. Item 7. Exemption from Registration Claimed Not Applicable. Item 8. Exhibits See the Index to Exhibits included herewith. Item 9. Undertakings 9.1 The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes to file during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement (i) to include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933, (ii) to reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of this Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in this Registration Statement and (iii) to include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in the Registration Statement; provided, however, that (i) and (ii) shall not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment is contained in periodic reports filed by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement. 9.2 The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new Registration Statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. 9.3 The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes to remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering. 9.4 The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the Registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. 9.5 Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit, or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Cincinnati, Ohio, on December 27, 1995. MERIDIAN DIAGNOSTICS, INC. By: /S/ William J. Motto __________________________ William J. Motto, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated. The persons whose names are marked with an asterisk (*) below hereby designate William J. Motto or John A. Kraeutler as Attorney-In- Fact to sign all amendments, including any post-effective amendments, to this Registration Statement. Signature Capacity Date /s/ William J. Motto Chairman of the December 27, 1995 ____________________ Board of Directors, William J. Motto Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) /s/ John A. Kraeutler President, Chief December 27, 1995 ____________________ Operating Officer John A. Kraeutler /s/ Gary P. Kreider Director December 27, 1995 ____________________ Gary P. Kreider /s/ Robert J. Ready Director December ___, 1995 ____________________ Robert J. Ready /s/ Jerry L. Ruyan Secretary and Di- December 27, 1995 ____________________ rector Jerry L. Ruyan Director December 27, 1995 /s/ James A. Buzard ____________________ *James A. Buzard /s/ Gerard Blain Vice President, December 27, 1995 ____________________ Chief Financial Gerard Blain Officer and Trea- surer (Principal Accounting Officer and Principal Fi- nancial Officer) The Plan. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Plan Administrative Committee has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Cincinnati, State of Ohio on December 27, 1995. MERIDIAN DIAGNOSTICS, INC. SAVINGS AND INVESTMENT PLAN By:/s/ James A. Buzard ___________________________ James A. Buzard, Chairman of the Administrative Committee EXHIBIT INDEX Exhibit No. Description Page __________ ___________ ____ 4 First Amendment to the Filed herewith Meridian Diagnostics, Inc. Savings and Investment Plan 5 Opinion of Keating, Muething Filed herewith & Klekamp 23.1 Consent of Arthur Andersen Filed herewith LLP 23.2 Consent of Keating, Muething Included in & Klekamp Exhibit 5 24 Power of Attorney (included Filed herewith on signature page)