Biocartis and Nichirei Bioscience Announce Collaboration for the Japanese Market

Biocartis Group NV has signed an agreement with Nichirei Bioscience for the product registration and exclusive distribution of Biocartis’ molecular diagnostic (MDx) oncology tests in Japan, operating on the fully automated sample-to-result Idylla™ platform.

Under the terms of the agreement, Nichirei Bioscience will seek the regulatory approval of Idylla™ MDx oncology tests with the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Upon successful registration, Nichirei Bioscience’s sales force plans to distribute Biocartis’ Idylla™ platform across its commercial network of some 2,000 pathology laboratories in Japan.

Biocartis’ Idylla™ platform is a fully automated, real-time PCR1 based molecular testing system designed to offer results in a minimum amount of time, making oncology molecular diagnostic testing fast, convenient and suitable for local laboratory partners and hospitals in Japan. Nichirei Bioscience intends to enable local pathology labs to generate accurate oncology MDx test results with efficient turnaround time and the consistent high quality and clinical utility that physicians and patients have come to expect when making cancer treatment decisions.

Nichirei Bioscience is part of Nichirei Corporation, a holding company with an annual turnover of approximately ¥ 550 billion with activities across the world in the fields of food, logistics and biosciences. Within biosciences, Nichirei Bioscience has developed and is commercialising products for immunohistochemistry and point-of-care diagnostics for which immunohistochemistry has a top three market position in Japan.

Herman Verrelst, CEO at Biocartis commented: “Nichirei Bioscience is a trusted supplier of the Japanese pathology market with a well-established commercial network and extensive experience in the registration of pathology products. We are confident that Nichirei Bioscience is the right partner for Biocartis in a market where a growing cancer incidence drives the need for rapid and easy automated MDx solutions to capture the growing volume of tests.”

Masato Takenaga, President at Nichirei Bioscience, added: “We are excited to strengthen our existing product portfolio with the fully automated Idylla™ platform and its rapid and easy molecular diagnostic tests. We believe this highly innovative MDx solution will be an important catalyst in growing our extensive network of pathology laboratory customers in Japan."