14 Jun 2010 07:00
Embargoed: 0700hrs, 14 June 2010
Akers Biosciences, Inc.
("ABI" or the "Company")
ABI EXPANDS DISTRIBUTION OF RAPID HEPARIN ANTIBODY TEST WITH FISHER HEALTHCARE
Akers Biosciences, Inc (AIM:AKR), a leading designer and manufacturer of rapid diagnostic screening and testing products, today announces a major distribution agreement with Fisher HealthCare for ABI's PIFA® Heparin/PF4 Rapid Assay (PIFA HPF4) and related products. Fisher HealthCare is one of the USA's leading healthcare product channels. The addition of Fisher HealthCare's resources will expose almost 100% of hospitals to ABI's product offerings and more than double the number of sales personnel marketing the PIFA HPF4 test in the USA.
Fisher HealthCare is focused on meeting the diagnostic testing needs of hospitals, reference labs, physician's offices, government, healthcare sites, public health clinics and universities. They are recognized for their expert account management team and diversity of diagnostic testing solutions. Fisher HealthCare is part of Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE: TMO), which has annual sales of more than $10 billion, over 35,000 employees and serves approximately 350,000 customers around the world.
ABI's PIFA® Heparin /PF4 Rapid Assayis the only FDA-cleared, single-use device marketed in the US to determine if a patient being treated with the blood thinner, Heparin, may be developing a drug allergy, known as Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT) due to the presence of HIT antibodies. If this occurs, exposure to Heparin will have the opposite effect of its intended use and may cause life- or limb- threatening blood clots.
In March 2010, following one of the first in depth investigations into HIT, the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital presented data supporting the clinical utility of ABI's PIFA HPF4. The authors concluded that ABI's unique, patented PIFA assay can quickly rule out the presence of HIT antibodies, thus preventing a patient from receiving a much more expensive alternative anticoagulation therapy, and assisting the physician in the rapid diagnosis of the patient's condition.
Thomas A. Nicolette, President and Chief Executive of ABI, commented,
"America's two largest distributors of diagnostic products are Fisher HealthCare and Cardinal Health. As of today, ABI's PIFAHPF4 test is distributed by both which approximately doubles the number of hospital laboratories that will be targeted and almost trebles the number of sales people in the field. We are confident that this expansion of distribution capabilities will translate into increasing sales of one of our core products that has every quality required to become the industry standard assay for HIT antibody testing."
Enquiries:
Thomas A. Nicolette
President and CEO
Tel. +1 856 848 8698
Ben Simons
M: Communications
Tel. +44 (0)20 7920 2340
Simon Leathers
Daniel Stewart
Tel. +44 (0)20 7776 6550
About Akers Biosciences, Inc.
Akers Biosciences develops, manufactures, and supplies rapid, point of care screening and testing products designed to bring healthcare information both rapidly and directly to the consumer or healthcare provider. The Company has advanced the science of diagnostics while responding to major shifts in healthcare through the development of several proprietary platform technologies. The company's state-of-the-art rapid diagnostic assays can be performed virtually anywhere in minutes when time is of the essence. ABI has aligned with major healthcare companies and high volume medical products distributorsto maximize product offerings, and to be a major worldwide competitor in diagnostics. Additional information on the Company and it products can be found at www.akersbiosciences.com.