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Avacta signs deal to accelerate market access for rapid Covid-19 test
Shares in Avacta (AVCT:AIM) gained 12% to 143p on Monday after the biotherapeutics firm said it had entered into a commercial partnership with Mologic to accelerate its lateral flow Covid-19 antigen test to market.
Avacta was one of the first companies to announce the development of lateral flow tests for Covid-19 using its Affirmer reagents. The antigen tests are designed to give results in minutes without the need for processing at a laboratory.
Chief executive Alastair Smith commented: ‘If the clinical evaluation in Europe is positive, we are ready to move quickly into full clinical validation in Europe and the UK, and subsequent CE marking through Mologic. With this approach it is possible to bring the test to market around the end of the first quarter of this year.’
FASTER MARKET ACCESS
The arrangement will see Mologic transferring a CE mark for professional testing under its existing ISO13485 quality system when Avacta’s antigen test receives accreditation, expected by the end of March 2021.
CE marking indicates a product conforms with health, safety, and environmental protection standards within the European Economic Area. The ISO13484 accreditation specifies that a medical product meets quality standards related to safety and efficacy.
INCREASED CAPACITY
The partnership also provides the company with additional manufacturing capacity through Mologic’s and its partners including Global Access Diagnostics (GAD). This adds to the scaled-up capacity being built with BBI and Abingdon Health (ABDX:AIM).
In total the partnerships will deliver several millions of tests per month with further potential on more investment while Avacta is also in discussions with other UK and overseas manufacturers.
The two companies are exploring combining their respective antigen tests into a single hybrid antigen test, a ‘world first’ which has the potential to deliver an ‘extremely sensitive’ lateral flow coronavirus antigen test.
The UK government has said it is keen to support domestic diagnostic capability and reduce reliance on overseas supplies as it looks to ramp up workplace rapid Covid-19 lateral flow testing.
Diagnostic testing company Omega Diagnostics (ODX:AIM) responded to press speculation that it was one of three UK companies in line to win a government contract today after its shares soared 38% to 96p.
The company said it would announce supply agreements when they are signed. It continues to modify its Alva-based facility to significantly upscale lateral flow test capacity.
https://www.sharebuyers.co.uk/shares/colin-king-qa-business-growth-confident-as-ever/
Contract for Uk transport of LFTs as part of the LFT DPS. The DPS is expected to launch on 16th April 2021. DPS to run for 12 months + extra 12 months option.
Responses were due by 6th April.
HERE WE GO HERE WE GO HERE WE GO ??????
BUY RECOMENDATTION REITERATED TARGET PRICE 100P
Lookers shares trade on FYE 2022 at just 6.9X
WE LIFT OUR TARGET PRICE TO 100P WITH STRONG LIKELYHOOD OF FURTHER UPGRADES AHEAD
S. African Strain May ‘Break Through’ Pfizer Shot, Study Suggests (5:37 p.m. NY)
The coronavirus variant first discovered in South Africa may be more likely than other strains to “break through” and reinfect people who had two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, according to an Israeli study released Saturday.
SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT TO INTRODUCE LATER FLOW TESTING. MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW
https://www.scotsman.com/news/uk-news/coronavirus-in-scotland-recap-first-minister-nicola-sturgeon-confirms-scots-pupils-will-be-back-in-classroom-full-time-following-easter-holidays-3190136
As far as we are aware, our spike protein ELISA test is the most sensitive test of its kind and, in ABCAM, we have a world-leading partner capable of maximising the commercial potential of the Affimer(R) reagents by making them globally available to scientists who are researching into the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
I look forward to further updating the market on progress across the Group in due course."
How is a lateral flow test taken?
COVID-19: How do lateral flow tests work and how will England's twice-weekly programme take place?
How is a lateral flow test taken?
Blow your nose and wash your hands.
Open the swab packaging and put the fabric end into one nostril about 1.5cm in and roll it about 10 times slowly, then do the same with the other nostril.
Listen to their message on their phone options, if you are calling about Rapid Flow Test please note these are available for Professional use only.
SureScreen Diagnostics Logo
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+44 (0)1332 365318
1 Prime Parkway, Prime Enterprise Park, Derby, DE1 3QB
8:30am - 5:00pm Monday to Thursday
8:30am - 4:30pm Friday
Weekends and bank holidays - Closed
COVID-19 Rapid Antibody Test Cassette
This test is CE marked for Professional use only. SureScreen's COVID-19 rapid test identifies the body's response to coronavirus after the onset of infection, and gives a qualitative yes/no result within 10 minutes.
Implementing rapid screening for COVID-19 has huge time and cost savings when compared to laboratory screening, and will help to control the spread of the virus by identifying infection rapidly and accurately.
We won’t get an RNS tomorrow because its been a bank holiday Friday-Monday and any sensitive news would have been known by close of play Thursday and would have been required to be announced after hours to the market.
I am certain, however that we will have great news by the end of this week.
Keep calm and stay cool.
Rapid COVID-19 antigen test for mass population screening collaboration with Cytiva – Pilot batch devices from BBI Solutions will be used for clinical validation potentially to be announced in Q4 2020. Designed to demonstrate production of the antigen test at scale, following which it should become possible to define the expected timeline for CE marking with a greater degree of timing certainty. Expected to initially be self-certified for professional use and then for consumer self-testing products, following which plans are in place to transfer this to a number of manufacturers globally in order to meet the anticipated demand.
New car sales jump as trade motors past the pandemic
Robert Lea, Industrial Editor
Monday April 05 2021, 12.01am, The Times
About 280,000 new cars were registered last month, compared with 254,000 a year ago...
Registrations of new cars in the key number plate change month of March have bounced back from previous lows.
Industry estimates indicate that registrations last month for the new “21” plate will be up about 10 per cent when official figures are unveiled tomorrow by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
It is reckoned that the SMMT figures will show that about 280,000 new cars were registered last month, compared with 254,000 in March 2020. That is a remarkably resilient performance, as showrooms remained closed last month during the third national lockdown, and is testament to dealers rapidly embracing online sales and click-and-collect delivery of cars.
The March 2020 figures were blighted by sales lost in the second half of the month as the country went into the first national lockdown and were down 44 per cent from the March 2019 tally.
March is a key month for the trade, traditionally accounting for 20 per cent of all annual registrations, because of demand for the biannual change in the number plate.
Serial automotive investor Bruce Beaton said: ‘Compared to mainstream plcs with audited accounts and balance sheets the valuation is absurd.
‘It goes back to the dot com days where the hype was greater than reality.
‘If the same valuation levers were applied to say Lookers they would be trading at £12bn and Tony Bramall would be a happy investor.’
Cazoo has not commented on the IPO rumours to Car Dealer or to request from Sky today. Cinch has been approached for comment by Car Dealer.
Cazoo Agrees $7 Billion SPAC Deal With Och .. Cazoo Ltd. will list in New York after selling itself to hedge-fund founder Dan Och’s blank-check company in a deal valued at $7 billion.
TODAY CAZOO HAS 3400 USED CARS FOR SALE AND LOOKERS HAVE OVER 10000.
LOOKERS HAVE SITES ALL OVER THE UK AND CAZOO HAVE 4 SITES BIRMINGHAM BRISTOL SOUTHAMPTON AND WEMBLEY.
LOOKERS VALUED AT £200M AND CAZOO AT $7BILLION.
The combination with special-purpose acquisition company Ajax I will raise about $1.6 billion in proceeds for the company, including $805 million in a cash trust from the SPAC and another $800 million from Ajax’s sponsors, Cazoo said in a statement on Monday. London-based Cazoo will be listed in New York after the deal closes, and Och said he plans to join the company’s board.
IF ONLINE SALES WERE GOING TO WORK THE CAR MANUFACTURERS WOULD HAVE SUCCESS YEARS AGO, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO MAKE IT WORK WITHOUT A DISTRIBUTION NETWORK FOR CUSTOMER CARE AND MANY OTHER ISSUES.
Lookers reported a massive £37m loss for the first 6 months of 2020 but will report a phenomenal full year PROFIT of £10m. This is an amazing turnaround, given all the additional man hours required for the FCA and Internal investigations.. 2021 will be the year..
Lookers PLC Update on 2020 Results
18/03/2021 7:00am
UK Regulatory (RNS & others)
Lookers (LSE:LOOK)
Intraday Stock Chart
Thursday 18 March 2021
Click Here for more Lookers Charts.
TIDMLOOK
RNS Number : 6339S
Lookers PLC
18 March 2021
18 March 2021
Lookers plc (the "Group")
Update on 2020 Results
Lookers plc, one of the leading UK motor retail and aftersales service groups, provides the following update.
Work continues in line with plan on the Group's financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2020 and the Group now expects to report underlying profit before tax of approximately GBP10m (2019: GBP4.2m). This compares to analyst consensus of a small loss. As previously reported, the Board expects net debt of approximately GBP45m at 31 December 2020 (2019: GBP59.5m).
The Group's revolving credit facility expires in March 2022 and, as previously disclosed, discussions with our banking partners are progressing. Net debt has significantly reduced since the year end.
In April, the Group will issue a trading statement for the first quarter of 2021 and confirm the dates of its preliminary results announcement and AGM.
The audit of the Group's financial statements for 2020 is being undertaken by the Group's new auditor, BDO LLP, and is progressing as planned.
This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No 596/2014. The person responsible for making this announcement is the Company Secretary.
ENDS
Enquiries
Van der Burgh said: “I am thrilled to be joining the Lookers board at a very exciting time for the business.