Indian breakthrough for Epistem

DIAGNOSTICS firm Epistem said it has successfully complete a clinical trial in India for a tuberculosis (TB) test involving Genedrive device.

It is a major breakthrough for the business which is now waiting for regulatory approval and an import license to enable it to sell its first major infectious disease test for TB.

Genedrive is a handheld device which uses molecular diagnostics to quickly test for a range of conditions.

Chief executive Matthew Walls said: “The successful completion of the Genedrive Indian study and submission for regulatory approval marks a vitally important milestone in the development of our flagship technology and moves us a significant step closer to commercial sales of our first TB product into India and the Indian sub-continent.”     

In the year to the end of June income was up 7.4% to £5.8m but pre-tax losses grew to £2.3m from £1.4m.