Industry News: Chembio Diagnostics Awarded Contract with UNICEF

Chembio Diagnostics, Inc. (Nasdaq: CEMI), a leader in point-of-care (POC) diagnostic tests for infectious diseases, announced that it has been awarded a conditional Long Term Arrangement (LTA) from UNICEF for purchases of the Company’s DPP^® Zika System, which is subject to Chembio satisfying certain conditions.

The UNICEF LTA, which is valid through December 31, 2019, includes a firm purchase commitment of $1.5 million and possible additional purchases of up to $3.4 million, for a potential total amount of up to $4.9 million. Under terms of the LTA, purchases of the DPP Zika System will begin after Chembio has met the following conditions: receipt of World Health Organization (WHO) Emergency Use Assessment and Listing (EUAL), completion of clinical and analytical performance evaluation, and a successful quality management system (QMS) inspection.

In February 2017, UNICEF launched a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the supply of Zika virus diagnostics for testing at point-of-care through 2019. UNICEF'S RFP is supported by a $10 million Advance Purchase Commitment (APC) from USAID, which aims to reduce demand uncertainty risks for manufacturers who invest in the research and development of new products. UNICEF is collaborating with partners, such as WHO and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), to make commercially available POC diagnostics for Zika virus.

Chembio’s DPP Zika System, which includes the DPP^® Zika IgM/IgG Assay and DPP^® Micro Reader, provides quantitative results in 15 minutes from only 10μl of fingertip blood. The DPP Micro Reader is hand-held, easy to use, and can reduce the risk of human error during test interpretation.

John Sperzel, Chembio’s Chief Executive Officer, commented, “We are delighted that our DPP Zika System has been chosen by UNICEF and we look forward to working with UNICEF, USAID, WHO, PAHO and other supporting organizations to begin supplying our DPP Zika Assay and DPP Micro Reader under this agreement. Given the limitations of laboratory-based Zika tests, we believe our point-of-care DPP Zika Assay and DPP Micro Reader will become essential tools in the battle against the Zika virus.”