Aegirbio’s veritope technology is based on precise detection of antibodies, to, for example, the specific coronavirus that causes COVID-19; this entails that the analysis of a blood sample can show whether the patient has been infected with the coronavirus. Viraspec’s patents cover technology for increasing the sensitivity of simple blood sample tests. The possibility to test saliva samples to detect the presence of the virus causing COVID-19 – that is, an active infection – has now been added as well. Viraspec’s solution is at the leading edge of knowledge and constitutes a frontier technology in its field, where the simplicity of the product makes for a very large customer base. A market launch is imminent, and products are already being dispatched for customer testing.
Aegirbio’s own development of tests continues; we have now completed our application to the NIH in the United States and applied for grants in Europe as well. We see that we are well on our way to establish proof of concept and thus to move towards the market launch.
Viraspec’s COVID-19 test is not the sole reason for Aegirbio’s decision to acquire the company. In addition, Aegirbio gains access to a complementary technology, whose performance, where appropriate, can be further improved by Aegirbio’s veritope molecules. Furthermore, Aegirbio’s acquisition brings development skills and production to the Company that will strengthen the product development on the MagniaReader platform. Aegirbio acquires 100 percent of the company through a new share issue, paying SEK 10 million in its own shares based on the 25-day average share price of SEK 25.28.
“We are very proud to be able to associate such an exciting team as Viraspec. I am convinced that we will be able to step up the pace and increase the customers’ interest in our products. Once we realized how easy it is to carry out the Viraspec test and that it uses saliva instead of blood, we got really excited. It was moved from idea to finished product in a very short period of time,” says Martin Linde, CEO.
“Viraspec works on products whose performance depends on the precise and reasonably priced production of very specific peptides; we believe that the merger with Aegirbio and the resulting access to veritope technology will make both Viraspec and Aegirbio successful on the market for point-of-care testing of immunity and active infection,” says Robert Porter, CEO of Viraspec.
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