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QIAGEN and Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz collaborate to enhance malaria and dengue detection in Brazil's national screening programs
Globe Newswire 12-Sep-2024 4:05 PM
Venlo, the Netherlands, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sept. 12, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- QIAGEN (NYSE:QGEN, Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA))) today announced the expansion of its strategic partnership with Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz, the leading provider of vaccines and diagnostics to the Brazilian Ministry of Health. The partnership, initiated in 2009, supported Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz with reagents and instruments for testing samples for HIV and hepatitis C virus. With the expansion of this collaboration, Bio-Manguinhos is now able to launch an advanced PCR-based molecular screening platform to detect malaria alongside HIV, hepatitis B and C virus (HCV and HBV), a capability previously unavailable in Brazil's blood donation program. It also supports epidemiological surveillance of Brazil's ongoing dengue epidemic by composing Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz dengue molecular kits based on unique chemistry developed by QIAGEN and Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz. QIAGEN will supply critical molecular biology technologies, custom solutions, and comprehensive training to facilitate Brazil's public health initiative.
The advanced Brazilian Nucleic Acid Test (NAT Plus) platform, leveraging QIAGEN's PCR reagents, was recently rolled out as part of Brazil's national blood screening program. Initiated in 2010, this is the largest blood donation safety initiative in the country's history. Every year, five million blood donations are performed in Brazil, with 70% conducted by public blood banks. This latest advancement improves transfusional safety by detecting malaria and closing the "diagnostic window" between the time of infection and laboratory diagnosis. It is currently operational in 30 laboratories and is critical to safeguarding blood supplies in regions where these diseases are not endemic. QIAGEN and Bio-Manguinhos have been partnering since 2009 to equip Brazil's national blood screening program with advanced molecular testing solutions.
"QIAGEN's support has been crucial to achieving our public health goals, especially in enabling malaria and dengue screening," said Antonio Gomes Pinto Ferreira, IVD Reagents Director of Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz. "Their team helped us develop and scale an epidemiological solution that significantly enhances our blood screening capabilities and improves public safety."
"QIAGEN is committed to working side-by-side with technology partners, like Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz, to develop high-impact solutions", said Salim Essakali, Head of Strategic Partnerships & OEM Division at QIAGEN. "This partnership exemplifies how combining QIAGEN's biotechnology expertise, life science tools and operational capabilities can improve public health outcomes within Brazil's national blood screening program".
The NAT Plus platform supports health surveillance within the blood transfusion system, engaging over 300 trained professionals across 14 hemotherapy centers and processing 3.5 million samples annually. Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz's ZCD-typing kit can now also detect and discriminate samples of zika, chikungunya and dengue, and type the latter, which supports epidemiological surveillance programs in Brazil. Under the terms of this agreement, QIAGEN's solutions will be included in the screening kits and private labeled under the Bio-Manguinhos's brand.
Since its inception, QIAGENs Strategic Partnerships & OEM Division has supported over 400 global partners in molecular diagnostics, life science research, infectious disease testing, and oncology with state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, integrated quality management systems and a comprehensive catalogue of customizable products and services.
About QIAGEN Strategic Partnerships
QIAGEN Strategic Partnerships accelerates the process of bringing innovative brands, products, and capabilities to the market by providing tailored solutions and comprehensive support for companies in the life sciences research, biotechnology, and diagnostics sectors. The program offers QIAGEN's strategic partners access to customized solutions, contract bulk manufacturing, volume packaging, shipping and expert support across all aspects of comprehensive workflows. These workflows include sample preparation, assay development for next-generation sequencing (NGS), precision and custom enzymes, quantitative or digital PCR, bioinformatic analysis solutions, and technical, regulatory, and compliance consultation services. By leveraging QIAGEN's extensive life science expertise and operational capabilities, strategic partners can develop and deploy high-impact solutions effectively and efficiently.
QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands-based holding company, is the leading global provider of Sample to Insight solutions that enable customers to gain valuable molecular insights from samples containing the building blocks of life. Our sample technologies isolate and process DNA, RNA and proteins from blood, tissue and other materials. Assay technologies make these biomolecules visible and ready for analysis. Bioinformatics software and knowledge bases interpret data to report relevant, actionable insights. Automation solutions tie these together in seamless and cost-effective workflows. QIAGEN provides solutions to more than 500,000 customers around the world in Molecular Diagnostics (human healthcare) and Life Sciences (academia, pharma R&D and industrial applications, primarily forensics). As of March 31, 2024, QIAGEN employed more than 5,900 people in over 35 locations worldwide. Further information can be found at https://www.qiagen.com.
About Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz
Founded in 1976, Bio-Manguinhos is a Fiocruz's Institute responsible for research, innovation, development and the production of vaccines, in vitro diagnostics and biotherapeutics aimed at primarily meeting the demands of national public health. Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz is one of the largest production centers in Latin America, at Fiocruz' Manguinhos Campus, contributing to the self-sufficiency efforts to supply essential vaccines, biotherapeutics and in vitro diagnostics for the Brazilian Ministry of Health. The Institute also contributes with the public health of several countries, mainly by the export of the yellow fever vaccine, pre-qualified by WHO. Further information can be found at https://www.bio.fiocruz.br/index.php/en-us/bio-eng.
Forward-Looking Statement
Certain statements contained in this press release may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. To the extent that any of the statements contained herein relating to QIAGEN's products, timing for launch and development, marketing and/or regulatory approvals, financial and operational outlook, growth and expansion, collaborations, markets, strategy or operating results, including without limitation its expected adjusted net sales and adjusted diluted earnings results, are forward-looking, such statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that involve a number of uncertainties and risks. Such uncertainties and risks include, but are not limited to, risks associated with management of growth and international operations (including the effects of currency fluctuations, regulatory processes and dependence on logistics), variability of operating results and allocations between customer classes, the commercial development of markets for our products to customers in academia, pharma, applied testing and molecular diagnostics; changing relationships with customers, suppliers and strategic partners; competition; rapid or unexpected changes in technologies; fluctuations in demand for QIAGEN's products (including fluctuations due to general economic conditions, the level and timing of customers' funding, budgets and other factors); our ability to obtain regulatory approval of our products; difficulties in successfully adapting QIAGEN's products to integrated solutions and producing such products; the ability of QIAGEN to identify and develop new products and to differentiate and protect our products from competitors' products; market acceptance of QIAGEN's new products and the integration of acquired technologies and businesses; actions of governments, global or regional economic developments, weather or transportation delays, natural disasters, political or public health crises, and its impact on the demand for our products and other aspects of our business, or other force majeure events; as well as the possibility that expected benefits related to recent or pending acquisitions may not materialize as expected; and the other factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" contained in Item 3 of our most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F. For further information, please refer to the discussions in reports that QIAGEN has filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
