Augurix and Tillotts Pharma (“Tillotts”) are  announced that they have entered into a commercialization agreement for Simtomax, a rapid point-of-care diagnostic test for celiac disease.

The agreement grants Tillotts the exclusive right to distribute and supply Simtomax in dedicated key European markets. Simtomax is already available in Switzerland, Italy and France.

Thierry Duvanel, CEO of Augurix Diagnostics, said: “Celiac disease is a vastly undiagnosed disease, mainly due to the complexity of existing testing procedures. Simtomax, Augurix’ highly-sensitive point-of-care test, allows for early screening by running three analyses rapidly in a simple, one-step test. The expertise of Tillotts in the field of gastroenterology will be key in distributing Simtomax. We are pleased to be working with Tillotts to provide high quality tests to the marketplace.”

“The partnership with Augurix for the commercialization of their state of the art diagnostic test for the detection of celiac disease is a further important milestone in building an attractive and innovative gastrointestinal product portfolio. Simtomax perfectly complements our core competencies within gastroenterology and fits very well with Tillotts’ Asacol and Colpermin,” commented Thomas A Tóth von Kiskér, president and CEO of Tillotts.

Celiac disease, also known as gluten intolerance, is a widespread gastrointestinal disorder. This food intolerance to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye, affects over 26 million people worldwide. Left untreated, celiac disease can lead to long term health issues such as infertility, osteoporosis, and cancers of the digestive tract, yet it is estimated that 90 per cent of patients remain undiagnosed.

Simtomax addresses a significant unmet need in the diagnosis of celiac disease by offering a simple, one-step, lab-accurate diagnosis of celiac disease and IgA deficiency for all patients in only ten minutes.

This fingertip blood test can be performed immediately at the point of care and replaces the standard laboratory analyses performed on a blood sample drawn from a venous puncture. Simtomax requires no training or equipment and can be stored at room temperature. Augurix received the 2010 Frost & Sullivan European Product Differentiation Excellence Award in Point of Care for the development of Simtomax.

Augurix is a Swiss medical diagnostic company which develops, manufactures and markets disposable, pocket-size medical devices for rapid screening, diagnostic and monitoring of chronic conditions, with a strong focus on gastroenterology.

Tillotts is a specialty pharma company with a leading position in the field of gastroenterology, specializes in the development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products, diagnostics, and medical devices, all in the field of gastroenterology.