ViroLogic Inc has signed a preferred provider agreement with Pfizer Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, ViroLogic becomes Pfizer's preferred supplier for HIV resistance testing technology and services to support Pfizer's HIV drug discovery and development programs, and Pfizer will guarantee undisclosed service minimums for a period of three years. In addition Pfizer will make an equity investment in ViroLogic resulting in their ownership of approximately five per cent of the Company.

ViroLogic has developed technologies to assess drug resistance among a number of antiretroviral therapies in both preclinical and clinical studies including PhenoSense HIV, GeneSeq, PhenoSenseGT, PhenoSense HIV Entry and PhenoScreen.

"We are pleased to enter this more comprehensive agreement with Pfizer, a leader in HIV drug development, to help implement this increasingly important component of its novel discovery and development process," said Bill Young, ViroLogic's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "We believe this highlights how ViroLogic can serve as the drug resistance partner of choice to address a multitude of needs for the discovery and development of new HIV therapeutics."

Biopharmaceutical companies are increasingly using HIV resistance testing technology to enhance next-generation HIV drug development. The industry currently has 16 approved HIV drugs and another 40 new drugs in the pipeline, all of which will require resistance testing for their development. ViroLogic's patented technology can be applied to new HIV drug targets and is being further modified for use in vaccine research and development.