Collaboration on BNP Test for Japan

A collaboration has been announced whereby Response Biomedical Corp. (Vancouver, Canada) and Shionogi & Co., Ltd. (Osaka, Japan) will develop a rapid, point-of-care quantitative test for BNP (B-type natriuretic peptide) for use on the RAMP system of Response Biomedical that will assist in the diagnosis and management of congestive heart failure.

Response Biomedical will develop the new RAMP BNP test for Shionogi, which has exclusive rights to BNP testing in Japan. Shionogi will fund development and will be responsible for regulatory affairs, marketing, and distribution of the test in the Japanese market. Elevated levels of BNP indicate the presence of heart failure and provide doctors with an important diagnostic tool in the early detection and management of congestive heart failure. BNP is secreted into the bloodstream by the heart in response to ventricular hypertrophy and pressure overload. BNP acts to relieve the pressure. Response Biomedical's RAMP system consists of a portable fluorescent reader and single-use disposable test cartridges.

"Having successfully completed the feasibility of the RAMP BNP test, we are every excited to form a relationship with Shionogi, a leading Japanese pharmaceutical company,” remarked Bill Radvak, president and CEO of Response Biomedical. "We are very confident in our abilities to rapidly develop and commercialize a point-of-care BNP test with lab-quality performance to meet the needs of the Japanese medical community.”





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