A Medical Device Daily

Schering-Plough (Kenilworth, New Jersey) and OraSure Technologies (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) reported a collaboration for the development and promotion of a rapid oral test for the detection of antibodies to the hepatitis C virus (HCV) utilizing OraSure Technologies' OraQuick technology platform.

The agreement brings together OraSure — a developer of saliva diagnostics and developer and manufacturer of the OraQuick Advance Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody Test — and Schering-Plough — which has a focus on HCV therapies.

Schering-Plough said it will reimburse OraSure for a portion of the costs incurred by OraSure to develop the rapid oral HCV test and also will provide certain promotional support in the physicians' office market in the U.S. All sales of the HCV test will be made by OraSure, and OraSure will retain the rights to market and sell the test in all markets throughout the U.S.

The tests sold to U.S. physicians' offices will be co-branded and will incorporate OraSure's OraQuick tradename and "Be In Charge," the name of Schering-Plough's free patient support program that provides access to educational information about chronic hepatitis C and its treatment.

The agreement has an initial term of two years from the date that the test is first sold commercially.

In other agreements news:

  • Inhibitex (Alpharetta, Georgia) said it has entered a license and commercialization agreement with 3M (St. Paul, Minnesota) for the development of various diagnostic products using Inhibitex's MSCRAMM protein platform.

Inhibitex granted 3M an exclusive global license to use Clumping Factor A (ClfA), an MSCRAMM protein, in the development of diagnostic products in exchange for license fees, future milestone payments, financial support of further R&D activities and royalty payments on product sales that will exceed $4 million in cash considerations over the next five years.

3M also received a license to use additional MSCRAMM protein targets for the development of other diagnostic products.

MSCRAMM proteins are a family of proteins located on the surface of pathogenic organisms that represent viable targets for the development of therapeutic and diagnostic products. ClfA is an MSCRAMM protein that has been shown to be present on the vast majority of S. aureus strains.

Inhibitex has historically focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of antibody-based products for the prevention and treatment of serious, life-threatening infections.

  • Premier Purchasing Partners (Charlotte, North Carolina) reported new agreements for contrast media, contrast media injectors and disposables, and radiopharmaceutical products and distribution.

New contracts have been awarded to: Mallinckrodt (St. Louis), for ionic/non-ionic and barium contrast media; Berlex (Wayne, New.Jersey) and Mallinckrodt for magnetic resonance contrast media; Mallinckrodt and Medrad (Indianola, Pennsylvania), for contrast media injectors and disposables; and Mallinckrodt for radiopharmaceutical products and distribution.

These 36-month contracts are available to the acute care and continuum of care markets.