Enigma Diagnostics Limited (Enigma) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced that they have signed agreements for the supply and commercialization on an exclusive basis of the Enigma ML system in Europe and other designated key countries, including India, Brazil and Russia. The agreements include development by Enigma of an initial range of respiratory tests for use on its real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technology platform, and provide GSK the opportunity to generate revenues from further test developments in infectious diseases and in other therapeutic areas relevant to its healthcare business.

The Enigma ML system has the potential to deliver a result from a raw sample in under 60 minutes in a point of need setting. The new collaboration significantly extends the scope of the Influenza partnership announced in July 2009 for the Enigma ML system and builds on GSK’s extensive expertise and heritage within the respiratory therapeutic area and the extended capabilities offered by the Enigma ML system.

Under the terms of this agreement, GSK will make an additional equity investment and upfront payment, R&D-related payments, and royalties on net sales of resulting products. Additional payments will be subject to agreed commercialisation milestones.

John McKinley, chairman and CEO of Enigma, said: “This is a major collaboration and represents a significant milestone for Enigma. These agreements for assay development, commercialization and supply will leverage GSK’s extensive sales and marketing force with Enigma’s unique Point of Care system which has potential uses across a number of human diseases. This is a partnership which will deliver much needed “test and treat” capability to infectious disease management.”

Eddie Gray, president, Pharmaceuticals Europe of GSK said “GSK is committed to improving the lives of patients suffering from respiratory and other diseases by providing truly innovative healthcare solutions to improve the care of these vulnerable patient populations.  The collaboration with Enigma provides GSK the opportunity to offer a more complete solution to the healthcare community and improve patient care through the provision of rapid, state of the art diagnostic tests.”

GlaxoSmithKline – one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies – is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.

Enigma specializes in developing next generation rapid molecular diagnostic instrument platforms for decentralized and point-of-care settings.