Abbott, a global healthcare company, and Sekisui announce an agreement to offer coagulation testing solutions for laboratories worldwide. Coagulation tests measure a person's blood clotting ability, which can help doctors assess risks of excessive bleeding or developing clots.

Under the agreement, Abbott will be the exclusive distributor of Sekisui's new CP3000 coagulation instrument in the United States, Europe and other regions that recognize CE Mark.

"Abbott is committed to providing testing solutions that healthcare providers rely on for actionable information in diagnosing and treating various medical conditions," said Jaime Contreras, senior vice president, commercial operations, diagnostics, Abbott. "Collaborating with Sekisui broadens our offerings within haematology, providing an important component needed to improve care for people around the world."

Coagulation testing helps clinicians in assessing people before many medical treatments and in monitoring those who take medications that can affect clotting. It is also useful in the diagnosis of blood-related disorders, such as haemophilia (when blood does not clot normally) and thrombosis (formation of a clot that blocks blood flow).

"Coagulation testing has been an important focus for Sekisui for over twenty years," said Robert Schruender, president and chief operating officer of Sekisui Diagnostics. "We are delighted that this relationship with Abbott will bring the benefits of our system, which is a leading product in Japan, to many customers around the world."

Sales of the CP3000 are expected to begin later this year in Europe, countries that recognize CE Mark and non-regulated countries, and in the United States in 2016. Abbott will have non-exclusive distribution rights with Sekisui in China, Hong Kong, Japan and Macau.

The Sekisui CP3000 system features high-quality reagents, small sample volume requirements and offers a combination of high-throughput and a compact footprint. With a broad assay menu and rapid result turnaround time, the CP3000 can rapidly meet the workflow needs of laboratories of all sizes, while providing high quality and reliable results. The system will aim to seamlessly connect to Abbott's Accelerator a3600 lab automation platform and middleware solutions.

Sekisui Medical (SMD) headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, aspires to become a leading global medical company in fields such as diagnostics, pharmaceuticals & fine chemicals, and ADME & toxicology research.

Sekisui Diagnostics, a global diagnostics company and sister company of SMD, is committed to improving patient's lives by providing innovative medical diagnostics to physicians and laboratories through a global commercial network.