Pronostics signs distribution agreement with Medipan GmbH to sell its lead products in Europe’s largest diagnostics market

Pronostics Ltd, developer and manufacturer of next generation multiplexed diagnostics for healthcare providers and the pharmaceutical industry, has signed a distribution agreement with Medipan GmbH, for its autoimmune disease biomarker assays. This range of UltraPlex™ assays provide a powerful tool for clinicians allowing for rapid, accurate and inexpensive diagnosis of autoimmune diseases.

Medipan is a leader in the distribution of in vitro diagnostic tests in the field of autoimmunity and will use its highly experienced sales force initially to sell Pronostics’ UltraPlex™ ANA, Coeliac and Thyroid assays in Germany and Austria. Germany is Europe’s largest market for diagnostic products. As part of the agreement, Medipan will market the assays to hospitals and large private laboratories. The deal could initially generate up to €2 million in revenues and Medipan will have an exclusive license to sell the UltraPlex™ assays throughout the territory. The 2005 worldwide market for autoimmune tests was estimated at $250M and forecast to grow to $410M by 2010 (Kalorama Information April 2006).

Robert Booth, CEO of Pronostics said: “We are delighted to have partnered with a leading distributor in the autoimmune diagnostics field. The agreement is an endorsement of the superiority of our UltraPlex™ technology which underpins our range of multiplexed diagnostic assays. With this agreement, we can now expand the benefits of UltraPlex™ into the largest market for diagnostics in Europe’’.

UltraPlex™ is an exceptionally accurate, digital multiplexing solution which enables tens to hundreds of tests to be performed simultaneously in a single assay using a microscopic bar-coding system. The company’s lead product, the UltraPlex™ ANA assay, which consists of 11 tests in one, provides valuable time and cost savings compared to existing serial testing approaches using panels of Hep-2 screens and ELISA tests. It allows hospitals and laboratories to perform fully automated profiles of patient samples and gives both quantitative and qualitative results for antibodies to autoimmune diseases.

Dr Dirk Roggenbuck, CEO of Medipan, added: “We are very pleased to have been chosen as the distributor for the UltraPlex™ range of autoimmune assays. The UltraPlex™ platform is more efficient and economical in the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases than conventional approaches and we are looking forward to providing our customers with this improved service.”