Medmira Wins Additional $1.9M Army Contract

MedMira said today it received an additional $1.917 million from the U.S. Army toward developing and commercializing two rapid tests for transfusion-transmitted diseases.

Canadian-owned MedMira said it will use the funding from its latest U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA) contract to conduct additional testing for the Reveal Rapid Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Test and Multiplo Rapid HBc/HIV/HCV Antibody Test, in parallel with current clinical trials.

Testing of additional specimens will provide the clinical data required for MedMira to obtain complementary label claims and intended uses for the two tests, expanding their utility in a number of field applications, the company said.

MedMira said it foresees that the new testing will demonstrate that the Reveal and Multiplo tests are suitable for additional uses beyond the original areas of interest on the frontlines of military healthcare in emergency medical situations, and for screening transfusion-transmitted diseases. Reveal and Multiplo will also prove valuable in public healthcare initiatives as well as disaster and humanitarian relief efforts globally, the company reasons.

"The end result of the additional funding will be that more tests will be performed at a faster rate and a lower cost than has previously been attainable," Kevin Jones, MedMira's senior director, global sales and marketing, said in a statement. "The benefits for patients and healthcare providers using rapid tests built on our technology platform, especially the Multiplo triple test, will be seen not just in the United States, but by organizations across the globe."

MedMira, a developer and manufacturer of flow-through rapid diagnostics, sells its tests globally under the Reveal®, Multiplo™, and Miriad brands. MedMira won its first USAMRAA contract of about $2.3 million in July 2011 to develop and commercialize a multi-marker rapid test for the detection of the hepatitis B core IgG and IgM antibodies. A year later, in July 2012, MedMira won an additional USAMRAA contract of nearly $4.3 million to develop and commercialize a rapid test capable of simultaneous detection of HIV and hepatitis B and C.

The contracts were consolidated in November 2012 to create greater operational efficiencies as the projects moved forward in parallel, and now involve development and commercialization of two rapid tests.

This article was reprinted from Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN) with permission from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN) has retained its position as the number one biotech publisher around the globe since its launch in 1981. GEN publishes a print edition 21 times a year and has additional exclusive editorial content online, like news and analysis as well as blogs, podcasts, webinars, polls, videos, and application notes. GEN's unique news and technology focus includes the entire bioproduct life cycle from early-stage R&D, to applied research including omics, biomarkers, as well as diagnostics, to bioprocessing and commercialization.