BIOHIT secures European distribution rights for Biomedal’s gluten immunogenic peptide tests

BIOHIT is excited to announce an agreement with Biomedal to supply its iVYLISA, iVYCHECK and GlutenDetect gluten immunogenic peptide (GIP) tests. Under this agreement, BIOHIT will have exclusive distribution rights over Biomedal’s range of rapid tests and immunoassays for gluten detection in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. BIOHIT will also have non-exclusive rights in all other European countries, excluding Italy and Spain.

Biomedal’s range of GIP tests provide fast, non-invasive solutions to help coeliac disease and gluten sensitive patients monitor gluten intake and adherence to gluten-free diets. The test results correlate directly with mucosal damage, and provide high specificity and sensitivity for the detection of even low intake levels, enabling healthcare professionals and patients to identify exposure and take immediate dietary action.

BIOHIT will be supplying clinical laboratories with the ELISA-based iVYLISA GIP Stool assay for highly specific, sensitive and scalable quantitative detection of GIP in stool samples. This will be supported by the iVYCHECK and GlutenDetect GIP lateral flow tests, which are ideal for both hospital and point-of-care settings – including GP surgeries, pharmacies, dietetics clinics and home testing – allowing convenient detection of GIP in stool or urine samples in as little as 15 minutes.

Jussi Hahtela, CEO of BIOHIT OYJ, commented: “This distribution agreement with Biomedal is an important milestone for BIOHIT, and perfectly aligns with our strategic goal of widening our markets and product portfolio. One percent of people around the world have coeliac disease and, these important tests will not only enhance patient care, but also contribute to our company growth. In the UK, BIOHIT HealthCare has been successfully combining sales of BIOHIT products with the distribution of complementary, top quality gastrointestinal diagnostics tests for a number of years, and this new agreement is the first step in scaling this set-up to the group level.”

“Our advanced GIP tests have recently been included in the Spanish national clinical guidelines for the follow up of coeliac patients, and implemented in many Spanish hospitals,” said Ángel Cebolla, CEO and founder of Biomedal. “Partnering with BIOHIT marks an important step in expanding access to these innovative gluten detection solutions across Europe, empowering healthcare professionals and patients to achieve better outcomes in managing coeliac disease and other diseases characterised by gluten sensitivity.”