China Patent Grant

RNS Number : 8738A

EKF Diagnostics Holdings PLC

05 April 2012

 



EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc

("EKF" or the "Company")

China Patent Grant

EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc (AIM: EKF), a growing business within the in-vitro diagnostic devices market, announces that it has been granted a patent in the People's Republic of China for its Hemo Control microcuvettes, branded as NXT microcuvettes.

EKF has received a Certificate of Invention Patent from the State Intellectual Property Office in relation to patent rights for the cuvettes that are used with Hemo Control, EKF's hemoglobin measurement system. The patent is the first step for EKF to sell Hemo Control through its distribution network in China. EKF will seek approval from China's State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) for Hemo Control and will provide further updates as appropriate.

EKF announced recently that it had been granted a patent in the US for the same HemoPoint H2 microcuvettes. In the US, Hemo Control is sold as HemoPoint H2 and the cuvettes are also branded as NXT microcuvettes.

According to EKF's new Chinese Distributor a total of 9.6m hemoglobin tests were performed in China across 400 blood banks in 2008.

Commenting, Julian Baines, CEO of EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc, said:

"We're very pleased to receive patent protection in China for our Hemo Control microcuvettes. We've been successfully growing our presence in China, and recent approval from China's SFDA for our Quo-Test has helped drive increased sales. Nearly 6% of our revenues came from China last year and we're confident that we will continue to grow sales in that area, which will be complemented by the expected launch of Hemo Control in China next year."

Enquiries:

EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc	Tel: [phone]
David Evans, Executive Chairman	Mob: [phone]
Julian Baines, CEO	Mob: [phone]
Canaccord Genuity Limited	Tel: [phone]
Jamie Adams / Mark Dickenson
Walbrook PR Limited	Tel: [phone]
Paul McManus	Mob: [phone] or [e-mail]
Fiona Henson	Mob: [phone] or [e-mail]

About EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc

EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc was formed in July 2010 following the acquisition of EKF-diagnostic GmbH for €14.32m and refocused its strategy to one of building a substantial point of care diagnostics business. As part of this strategy, the Group has integrated three further acquisitions, Quotient Diagnostics Limited (acquired in October 2010 for a maximum of £5.41m), Argutus Medical Limited (acquired in December 2010 for £2.18m) and Stanbio Laboratory L.P. (acquired in June 2011 for a maximum of US$25.5m).

The Company, with its head office in Cardiff and operations in London, Germany, Poland, Russia, Ireland and the US, is a leading diagnostics business, focused on the development, production and distribution of chemical reagents and analysers for the testing of Glucose, Lactate, Haemoglobin, Haematocrit and HbA1c.

In May 2011 EKF entered into a distribution agreement with Alere Inc ("Alere"), a global diagnostics company, under which Alere was appointed the exclusive distributor of EKF's CLIA waived Hemo_Control device and cuvettes in the US, Canada and United Kingdom. The device is distributed in the US under the name HemoPoint H2. 

For more information please visit the website: www.ekfdiagnostics.co.uk

 

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