Holzgerlingen, Germany, July 18, 2012 -- Curetis AG, an innovative molecular diagnostics company focusing on the development and commercialization of in-vitro diagnostic products for infectious diseases, today announced that it has signed an exclusive distribution deal for its Unyvero™ solution with Advanced Technology Company K.S.C. (ATC). ATC will become the exclusive distributor of the Unyvero Solution including consumables for the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the Lebanon.
Placement of instruments will start in the third quarter this year. A clinical evaluation project of the Unyvero™ Solution has been approved by the Kuwait Ministry of Health and will take place at leading clinical sites in the country. Curetis, ATC and the clinical investigators will cooperate closely during this phase, and are planning to publish evaluation data in 2013 at a renowned international medical conference.
“At present, no other region in the world has such a rapidly growing demand for improved diagnostics of infectious diseases. At the same time, there is a need to realign and modernize local health-care systems in the Middle East,” said Oliver Schacht, CEO of Curetis AG. “As an example, there is a rising prevalence of antimicrobial resistance, and only recently the World Health Organization and the GCC governments have started a joint effort to address the problem. With ATC, which is led by former executives of Beckman Coulter, Organon Teknika and Biomerieux, we have found a very experienced IVD distributor with a strong presence in this exciting market.”
“Curetis provides a unique, very elegant, efficient and easy to use solution for a major unmet medical need in the region,” said Ahmad Jeradi, VP Strategy Business Development / M&A International Operations of ATC. “We therefore expect a significant clinical benefit and commercial growth potential for the Unyvero system over the next years, and are very happy to be among the first distributors who offer it internationally.”
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About the Unyvero™ System
The CE-marked Unyvero™ System is a versatile hardware platform for the detection of a broad panel of bacteria and antibiotic resistances from a single sample in one run. It processes a disposable cartridge providing the necessary reagents to complete the analysis from sample to result.
The platform enables the DNA-based testing of all clinically relevant samples in a fully automated, unsupervised analysis process requiring only few, quick manual preparation steps. The analysis thus can be performed with minimal operator time and without the need of skilled staff or special infrastructure.
Thereby, clinically relevant information is available within about four hours to support an informed therapy decision as early as possible.
The first CE-marked Unyvero™ Cartridge, Unyvero™ P50, focuses on pneumonia testing and simultaneously analyses 39 DNA targets. Cartridges for further applications, e.g. for surgical site infections, blood stream infections and tuberculosis, are in preparation.
About Curetis AG
Founded in 2007, Curetis AG is a molecular diagnostics company which focuses on the development and commercialization of reliable, fast and cost-effective products for diagnosing severe infectious diseases. The diagnostic solutions of Curetis AG will enable rapid multiparameter pathogen and antibiotic resistance detection in only a few hours, a process that today can take up to days or even weeks with other techniques.
To date, Curetis has raised total funds of over € 36.6 million (~ USD 50 million). The company is based in Holzgerlingen near Stuttgart, Germany. In 2011, Curetis signed a collaboration agreement with Sanofi Pasteur for the potential use of the Unyvero™ platform in a future global clinical trial.
About Advanced Technology Company K.S.C.
Founded in 1981, ATC has rapidly grown to become one of the Middle East’s market leaders in Total Medical Systems Solutions and Healthcare Services. ATC designs and builds hospitals and healthcare institutions, and supplies a large spectrum of medical devices and healthcare products to the market, complemented by state-of the art after sales services. The company has been listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange as ATC in 2007. With 530 employees and 15 million Dinars (approx. US$ 53 million) in paid-in capital ATC reported totals assets of USD 300 million; revenues from yearly sales and services amount to USD 240 million.
Contact
Curetis AG
Max-Eyth-Str. 42
71088 Holzgerlingen, Germany
Tel. +49 (0) 7031 49195-10
ce@phergvf.pbz
www.curetis.com
Advanced Technology Company
Tel.: +965-22247-262
Fax: +965-25711-761
www.atc.com.kw
Email: Nwrenqv@ngp.pbz.xj
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Tel. +49 30 23 63 27 68
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