EKF's New Quo-Lab CE Marked and Commercially Launched


New low cost POC HbA1c analyser on show at AACC 2012

Cardiff, UK - EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc, a worldwide manufacturer of point of care in-vitro diagnostic devices, has announced that its new Quo-Lab point of care (POC) HbA1c analyser has received its CE Mark, allowing the product to be formally launched in European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) countries.

Quo-Lab is a semi-automated HbA1c analyser which provides highly accurate, low cost and easy-to-use technology for GP surgeries, diabetes clinics and laboratories. HbA1c monitoring is increasingly used in the detection and management of diabetes, and Quo-Lab has been specifically designed to meet the needs of economies where diabetes is an increasingly large public health issue and resources are limited.

The new analyser is manufactured by EKF subsidiary Quotient Diagnostics Ltd and uses the unique Boronate Affinity Florescence method perfected in its Quo-Test HbA1c analyser. Requiring just 4 µL of venous or finger prick blood, the small and lightweight Quo-Lab delivers lab-accurate results within four minutes (CV < 3% at 7% A1c). Consequently, the company anticipates great demand for Quo-Lab, which is positioned as one of the most cost effective and user friendly HbA1c analysers on the market. The analyser's simple 4-Step procedure requires minimal training, with on-screen instructions available in a variety of user selectable languages.

Commenting, Julian Baines, CEO of EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc, said:

"We believe Quo-Lab will have a very positive reception in the near patient testing market for HbA1c. It provides lab-accurate, low cost testing that is incredibly easy to use and minimises the opportunity for user error or contamination of the sample, but most importantly it has specific benefits to emerging markets where diabetes is on the increase.

"By utilising the methodology that we perfected for Quo-Test we know we have a device that delivers the accuracy and precision that practitioners demand, together with a user experience that is unrivalled in its sector."

Quo-Lab, which previewed at Medica in November 2011, will also be demonstrated at the American Association for Clinical Chemistry conference in Los Angeles, 17-19 July.

To find out more, please visit www.ekfdiagnostics.com.

About EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc

The EKF Diagnostics Group has expertise across the entire in vitro diagnostics chain, from fermentation and enzyme production, to the manufacture of liquid reagents, the design and building of world-class diagnostic devices and the distribution of rapid test kits for infectious diseases and pregnancy. The EKF range of analysers are a trusted brand, with over 45,000 analysers worldwide being used in GP surgeries, pharmacies, blood banks, sports clinics, hospitals and laboratories for the measurement of glucose, lactate, haemoglobin, haematocrit and HbA1c.

To date, the EKF Diagnostics Group has distributors in more than 70 locations around the globe. EKF Diagnostics' strengths lie in its multi-national research and manufacturing facilities, teams of experienced analysts and engineers in Germany, Ireland, USA and the UK, and a board led by some of world's foremost authorities in medical diagnostics.

EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc is an AIM listed company with its head office in Cardiff. In 2010 EKF made three acquisitions - Quotient Diagnostics Limited in Walton-on-Thames, Argutus Medical in Dublin and Stanbio Laboratory in Boerne, Texas.

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