Curetis AG Signs Up BioLine LLC as Exclusive Distribution Partner for Russia

- Partners to start registration process and market launch in Russia -

Holzgerlingen, Germany, September 27, 2012 -- Curetis AG today announced that it has signed up BioLine LLC as an exclusive distribution partner for Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belorus. BioLine is a major player in these markets and distributor for global companies such as Becton Dickinson, Leica Microsystems and many others.

BioLine is preparing the registration of the Unyvero™ Solution and the Unyvero™ P50 Pneumonia Application with the Russian Ministry of Health for regulatory clearance to sell the CE-marked IVD in Russia.

There is a huge unmet medical need for better pneumonia diagnostics in the region. According to the WHO, 1.5 million cases of pneumonia occur in Russia each year, of which only about 0.3 to 0.4 million are registered with the authorities. 25-33% of patients experience prolonged duration due to antibiotic resistances. Diagnosis is still poor: it is estimated that 20% of all patients diagnosed with severe flu in Russia are in fact suffering from pneumonia. Mortality from pneumonia is huge, reaching 14-20% in the elderly (≥ 60 years) and up to 25% in young children.

“This agreement marks the next step in our campaign to make the Unyvero Solution available worldwide,” said Oliver Schacht, CEO of Curetis AG. “Our contract with BioLine and the distribution agreements with ATC and Mediphos demonstrate the significant interest in the Unyvero platform well beyond our home markets in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. BioLine has convinced us with its high level of professionalism and expertise and its dedication to our innovative product line. Together, we are looking forward to growing the business in Russia, Ukraine and beyond over the next years.”

“The Unyvero Solution by Curetis has deeply impressed us not only because the cartridge-based concept covers a very broad analyte spectrum, but also is simple to use,” said Alexander Semenov, President & CEO of BioLine. “The Russian market with its high number of pneumonia cases is very attractive for Western companies but needs the right partner for rapid growth. With our presence throughout all regions of Russia and a successful track record in this tender-based market we have already built a business worth tens of millions of Euros for major IVD players in Russia. Therefore, we are convinced that our collaboration with Curetis provides an attractive growth opportunity for both companies.”

BioLine will present the Unyvero™ Solution at the Modern Diagnostics of Lung Diseases conference (Oct. 2, St. Petersburg) http://hospital.primexpo.ru/ru/events/, the XXII. National Congress on Diseases of the Respiratory System (Oct. 23-26, Moscow) http://www.pulmonology.ru/ and Russia’ biggest national healthcare exhibition, the 22th International Exhibition for Health Care, Medical Engineering and Pharmaceuticals (Dec. 3-7, Moscow) (Zdravookhraneniye-2012) http://www.zdravo-expo.ru/en/.

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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. The second Unyvero™ application for implant & tissue infections is already in product development. Cartridges for additional indications, such as blood stream infections and tuberculosis, are in preparation.

About BioLine LLC
The BioLine group of companies is an exclusive distributor of the leading worldwide companies in fields of laboratory equipment and rehabilitational hospital furniture. BioLines’ specialization lies in complex equipment, technical support, training and consulting support for laboratories of various kinds. Having entered the market in 1992, BioLine has today subsidiary enterprises in Ukraine and a number of branch offices all over the Russian Federation: in Moscow, Ekaterinburg, Nizhni Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Kazan and others. As for the companies’ structure, it consists of two parts: diagnostic equipment-oriented department – BioLine and laboratory common equipment-oriented department – BioSystems. The companies’ staff counts more than 150 highly qualified specialists, passed through qualifying personnel selection and many having studied in training centers of manufacturing companies in Germany, The Netherlands, Finland and the USA.
The BioLine group of companies is a frequent participant at annual trade shows, conferences and symposiums. It often sponsors and maintains as a partner various scientific and trade events dedicated to health care improvement all over the world. The BioLine group of companies has proven as a stable and reliable partner with a broad experience in this field, with qualified staff and collaborating with leading global companies.

BioLine LLC
Petrogradskaya naberezhnaya, 36, lit. A.
197101, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
Tel./ Fax: +7 (812) 320-49-49/320-49-40
main(at)bioline.ru
http://bioline.ru

Media Inquiries:
akampion
Dr. Ludger Wess / Ines-Regina Buth
Managing Partners
info(at)akampion.com
Tel. +49 40 88 16 59 64
Tel. +49 30 23 63 27 68

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) and has signed global collaboration agreements with Heraeus Medical, Sanofi Pasteur and Cempra Inc. as well as several international distribution agreements for its Unyvero™ Solution. The company is based in Holzgerlingen near Stuttgart, Germany.

Curetis AG
Oliver Schacht, CEO
Max-Eyth-Str. 42
71088 Holzgerlingen, Germany
Tel. +49 (0) 7031 49195-10
pr(at)curetis.com
www.curetis.com

This release was published on openPR.