MedMira Wins Exclusive Right to Sell Rapid HIV Tests in China's Guizhou Province
01 Junho 2005 - 12:46PM
PR Newswire (US)
MedMira Wins Exclusive Right to Sell Rapid HIV Tests in China's
Guizhou Province Represents Upwards of 1.5 Million Tests per Year
for Province's Blood Banks HALIFAX, June 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/
-- MedMira Inc., ("MedMira") (TSX Venture: MIR, NASDAQ: MMIRF) the
global market leader in rapid flow-through diagnostic technology,
announced today that it has won a government tender to supply rapid
HIV tests to blood collection centres in the province of Guizhou in
the People's Republic of China. Guizhou is one of China's largest
blood plasma producers, supplying over 30% of the country's annual
requirement of plasma units. Selected based on its high quality
performance, MedMira's MiraWell(R) Rapid HIV Test (MiraWell(R))
will be the only rapid HIV test permitted to be used in Guizhou's
blood collection centres. This represents the first time rapid HIV
tests were considered for selection in Guizhou's annual tender
process for diagnostic tests. MedMira anticipates supplying up to
1.5 million MiraWell(R) tests over the next year with the initial
shipment within the next 90 days. Official documents and results of
the tender are available in Chinese at
http://gz.emedchina.net/view.asp?id(equal
sign)32764&catalogid(equal sign)38. "We are extremely pleased
to play such a significant role in Guizhou Province's
groundbreaking decision to introduce rapid HIV tests for general
screening in blood banks. Their acceptance and use of our
MiraWell(R) Rapid HIV Test is the highest seal of approval for the
quality and performance of our product," said Hermes Chan,
president and chief operating officer of MedMira. "MedMira
executives and the Provincial blood screening representatives will
meet later this month to discuss the logistics of the orders during
the tender period." Guizhou's blood collection centres are located
throughout the province in both rural and urban areas, where many
of MiraWell(R)'s key features (reliable results, easy-to-use and
interpret, with no refrigeration required) are essential.
MiraWell(R) is ideal for blood collection screening, providing HIV
test results in just 3 minutes. MiraWell(R) was recently ranked the
number one rapid HIV test in overall performance in an independent
2004 China National Center for Disease Control (CDC) report.
MedMira is the only Canadian company approved by the China State
Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) to import its rapid HIV test
into the country. About Guizhou Province, P.R. China Situated
mostly on a high mountain plateau, Guizhou is rarely visited by
outsiders. It is home to at least 30 ethnic minorities, including
the Miao and the Dong. It has the highest annual rainfall in China
and a mild climate, and although scenic, most of the land is not
conducive to extensive farming. Poverty among the province's 35
million people is widespread, but manufacturing industries are
growing, particularly mining of the region's rich deposits of
mercury, coal and phosphate. It is a leader in forest products. The
capital is Guiyang. About MedMira MedMira is the leading global
manufacturer and marketer of in vitro flow- through rapid
diagnostic tests. MedMira's tests provide reliable, rapid diagnosis
in just 3 minutes for the detection of human antibodies in human
serum, plasma or whole blood for diseases such as HIV and hepatitis
C. The United States FDA and the SFDA in the People's Republic of
China have approved MedMira's Reveal(TM) G2 and MiraWell(R) Rapid
HIV Tests, respectively. MedMira's Reveal(TM) G2 and MiraWell(R)
rapid HIV tests are currently used in clinical laboratories,
hospitals, and clinics where professional counselling and patient
treatment are immediately available. The MiraCare(TM) Rapid HIV
Antibody Test, MedMira's over-the-counter (OTC) product, is
available in pharmacies throughout Hong Kong and Macao Special
Administrative Regions, in the People's Republic of China. MedMira
delivers rapid diagnostic solutions to healthcare communities
around the globe. Its corporate offices and manufacturing
facilities are located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada with a
representative office in Beijing, China. This news release contains
forward-looking statements, which involve risk and uncertainties
and reflect the company's current expectation regarding future
events. Actual events could materially differ from those projected
herein and depend on a number of factors including, but not limited
to, changing market conditions, successful and timely completion of
clinical studies, uncertainties related to the regulatory approval
process, establishment of corporate alliances and other risks
detailed from time to time in the company quarterly filings. The
TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept
responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this statement. For
more information visit MedMira's website at
http://www.medmira.com/. DATASOURCE: MedMira Inc. CONTACT: Dr.
James Smith, Investor Relations, Tel: (902) 450-1588, E-mail:
Copyright