During the last few weeks QIAGEN has entered into further, significant supply agreements for consumables and instruments with public health authorities in Europe, Asia, Latin America and other regions. This adds to a large presence already built in the first half of 2009. The first customer to order lots of QIAGEN ™s new artus Influenza/H1 RG/LC RT-PCR Kit is the government of Saudi Arabia. The government is evaluating the possibility of implementing the screening solution in time to help contain the spread of the virus during the upcoming Mekka pilgrimage. The CDC ™s protocol for swine flu testing which has recently obtained Emergency Use Authorization by the US FDA includes QIAGEN components. The CDC protocol has now been adopted for the surveillance of swine flu infections in U.S. troops world-wide. Additionally, a test protocol for evaluating Influenza A/H1N1 variations is being widely adopted for H1N1 resistance testing against Tamiflu/Oseltamivir. This protocol is based on QIAGEN ™s proprietary Pyrosequencing assay technology as well as the company ™s sample preparation technologies. QIAGEN is seeing significant demand for these solutions as they add significant value as secondary, resistance testing on samples that have been found positive using screening tests. This second line testing is increasingly being added to the front line screening efforts.
QIAGEN had rapidly responded to the initial Influenza A/H1N1 outbreak in April 2009 by quickly validating the ability of its already-available influenza detection technology platforms to identify H1N1 as part of the test ™s general Influenza A detection capabilities and has subsequently added a range of additional solutions to help in disease surveillance and management. The rapid support for the current pandemic builds on QIAGEN ™s experiences from previous major outbreaks of infectious diseases: QIAGEN is the leading provider of Avian Flu (H5N1) molecular detection tools worldwide and also developed the first test for the detection of SARS. Public health institutions and more than 80 reference laboratories around the globe use the company's molecular tests and testing components for surveillance and research of these viral infections. Worldwide, QIAGEN has the broadest portfolio of molecular screening solutions for viral infectious diseases.
The test kit is available in the United States for research use only. It has not been cleared or approved by authorities including the United States Food and Drug Administration or any other regulatory agency in the United States, or under the European IVD Directive, for human diagnostic or other clinical use, and is not intended and should not be used for human diagnostic or any other clinical purposes.
qiagen/