West Perth-based biotechnology company Rockeby Biomed Ltd has completed further distribution deals in Europe for its Avian bird flu diagnostics as the strain of avian influenza A, H5N1, spreads from Asia to the European Union.
West Perth-based biotechnology company Rockeby Biomed Ltd has completed further distribution deals in Europe for its Avian bird flu diagnostics as the strain of avian influenza A, H5N1, spreads from Asia to the European Union.
Below is the edited announcement:
Rockeby Biomed has today advised of growing revenue due to expansion in the market for its avian influenza virus tests. The company began distribution of the two rapid diagnostic tests for avian flu on 1 December 2005.
Since announcing on 11 November 2005 the company's exclusive marketing and distribution rights for the bird flu tests, demand for the tests has increased in keeping with the spread of the strain of avian influenza A, H5N1, from Asia to the European Union.
Rockeby has active sales channels for the products in South East Asia, Japan, the Middle East and Romania. The tests have generated considerable interest in both scientific and industry circles worldwide. With no signs that the threat of a pandemic is abating, this interest is likely to be sustained. The current buyers of the tests are commercial poultry farms, as well as governmental veterinary agencies for surveillance purpose.
For Europe, Rockeby has appointed Vouros Healthcare Ltd to distribute the product for Cyprus, Teco-Medical AG will be appointed to represent Germany, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Scandinavia and Greece. The Avian Influenza rapid test had been sent for evaluation at Friedrich Loeffler Institut in Greifswald, Germany, which is a "Bundesforschungsanstalt" (governmental research institute) for virus diagnostic in animals.
Independent testing of the Avian Influenza Virus Antigen Test kit by Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority showed the test to be active against seven different strains of avian influenza A, and specific for this virus, with three unrelated viruses testing negative. Rockeby expects the AVA to implement the usage of the Avian Influenza test in the second quarter of 2006.
There have been four deaths due to H5N1 infection of 12 reported cases in Turkey. The mortality of H5N1 transmission from poultry to humans runs at slightly less than 50 per cent. While there has been no confirmed human to human transmission, health bodies are concerned that it may be only a matter of time.
Apart from the potential risk to humans of an avian influenza pandemic, the impact of avian flu is having a marked affect on the international poultry market. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has reported that Asian poultry exports fell from about 1.8 million tones in 2003 to about 1 million tonnes in 2004/05.
As the avian flu outbreaks in domestic poultry move westwards, the FAO predicts sharp affects on the global price of poultry. Outbreaks have been detected in Romania, Croatia and Turkey.
"As we noted in our previous market update, the World Health Organization has highlighted the weakness of routine veterinary surveillance in many countries," said Dr Sze-Wee Tan, Chief Executive of Rockeby, noting that the situation had been made worse by the lack of a suitable, easy to use test.
