Avacta Analytical signs distribution agreement with DKSH Japan

11 April 2011

Avacta Group plc has signed an exclusive agreement for the distribution of Optim, its low volume protein analysis system, with DKSH Japan.

Avacta has already received its first order for an Optim unit which will be shipped to DKSH this month.

DKSH is a £5.8bn turnover group specialising in Asian markets business development. It has nearly 50 years experience in supporting the Japanese pharmaceutical industry through its dedicated Business Unit Technology which has a specialised sales team of seven. It has strong contacts within the rapidly growing biopharmaceutical industry and with the large and expanding life sciences research base in Japan.

Optim, which comprises a benchtop instrument and disposable sample holders, accelerates the speed, reduces the cost, and reduces the risk of failure, early on in the biopharmaceutical development process.

At the critical stages of pre-formulation, stability testing and formulation of biopharmaceutical drugs the Optim system provides analysis of compounds to identify viable drug candidates and to define the optimal processing conditions.

Optim not only delivers information tens of times faster than existing techniques, using less than a hundredth of the sample size, the quality of the data gives drug developers a greater insight into candidate drugs much earlier in their development.

This quantum leap in efficiency leads to a significant reduction in the likelihood of failure of drug compounds and reduces the overall costs of bringing new drugs to market. 

Alastair Smith, Chief Executive of Avacta Group commented: "We are delighted to have signed this exclusive Japanese distribution agreement with such a strong partner as DKSH. It has in-depth understanding of the Asian market as well as an excellent team of sales, applications and support staff. The team has many years experience in selling and supporting complementary technologies to Optim into our target customers which is of significant benefit to Avacta. We are looking forward to working with them to achieve our market potential in this strategically important territory.”

Yuji Hirohata, Executive Sales Manager of Business Line Research of DKSH Japan said: “Avacta’s Optim system is attracting considerable attention as a tool that allows drug developers to gain a greater insight into protein therapeutics formulation at a much earlier stage of development. We are happy to represent Optim in Japan and are confident of its great market potential.”

This agreement follows previously announced deals with Pall Corporation to market Optim in the US, Avacta’s largest market; with Isogen Life Science to distribute Optim in mainland Europe; and with Cold Spring Biotech Corp to market Optim in the fast-growing Chinese and Taiwanese market.

 

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