QIAGEN to supply flu test to Singapore Ministry of Health

QIAGEN in The Netherlands has been awarded an exclusive contract by the Singapore Ministry of Health to supply sample preparation solutions and molecular tests for the specific detection of Influenza H5N1 viruses - better known as avian flu.

For the country's Avian Influenza Preparedness Program QIAGEN provides automated and manual sample preparation technologies for the extraction of viral nucleic acids. These are complemented by test kits for specific and sensitive detection of the highly pathogenic Avian Influenza strain. The contract runs for three years and the volume depends on minimum stockpiling levels as well as the level of intensity of the country's surveillance program.

The contract with the Singapore Ministry of Health is the latest supply agreement of QIAGEN with public and private institutions engaged in H5N1 surveillance. More than 80 institutes worldwide involved in the surveillance of avian flu infection use procedures and reagents developed and offered by QIAGEN.

'This new contract is proof not only of the strong confidence of public health organisations in the performance, quality and reliability of QIAGEN's products, but also of their trust in the capabilities we as a market leader can provide in terms of logistics and safety of supply,' said Peer Schatz, CEO of QIAGEN.

Currently, the avian flu is spreading throughout the world with increasing velocity, particularly the Asia-type, which features unusually high levels of persistency and pathogenicity. Should the virus encroach on humans, a following pandemic could lead to the deaths of between 2 and 7.4 million lives - according to estimates of the World Health Organization (WHO).

QIAGEN's influenza detection products are for research use only. They have not been cleared or approved by authorities including the United States Food and Drug Administration or any other regulatory agency in the United States and should not be used for human diagnostic or any other clinical purposes.