NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) — Curetis announced today that it has signed exclusive distribution agreements for its PCR-based diagnostic assays in certain North African and Latin American markets.
As part of the arrangements, Curetis has also secured commitments for the purchase of 45 of its Unyvero molecular diagnostic systems and minimum purchases of its test cartridges.
The deals cover Curetis' CE-IVD marked assays for pneumonia, implant and tissue infections, bloodstream infections, intra-abdominal infections, and urinary tract infections. The tests — which all run on the Unyvero system — will be exclusively distributed by Future Horizon Scientific in Egypt; by Quimica Valaner in Mexico; and by Biko in Uruguay.
According to Curetis, the distributors have agreed to buy at least 45 Unyvero systems at distributor prices over a three-year period in order to establish a user base for the tests. They have also committed to minimum assay purchases of several thousand over the same period.
Earlier this year, Curetis said that it finished the first quarter with 167 Unyvero systems placed worldwide, and that it expects to have between 250 and 300 systems installed by the end of 2018. The system and a related lower respiratory tract infection test were cleared by US regulators in April.