Calypte invests in Chinese joint venture; gains rights to manufacturing facilities

By E. Janene Geiss

Philadelphia, March 30 - Calypte Biomedical Corp. announced Thursday that it has acquired a 51% equity interest in Beijing Marr Bio-Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., a wholly foreign-owned enterprise existing under the laws of the People's Republic of China.

The remaining 49% equity interest in Beijing Marr is owned by Marr Technologies Asia Ltd., an affiliate of Marr Technologies BV, the company's largest stockholder, according to a company news release.

As a result, Calypte said it has acquired rights to manufacturing facilities and other assets necessary for the production of its Aware line of HIV-½ rapid test products in China.

The joint venture has begun renovating the manufacturing facilities to meet the production needs of the Aware HIV-½ rapid oral fluid diagnostic test, which is under evaluation by the Chinese State Food and Drug Administration, officials said.

The joint venture also obtained a Chinese Certificate of GMP for Pharmaceutical Products, issued in its name, which must be renewed by June 18 following the renovations.

The new venture's assets include a manufacturing facility located on a site that also contains additional office and warehouse buildings. It acquired these facilities as part of an asset acquisition from Beijing Yaohua Bio-Technology Ltd.

The acquisition also includes the rights to 17 diagnostic test products approved by the Chinese State Food and Drug Administration, including a rapid HIV-½ blood test and other diagnostic tests including various sexually transmitted diseases.

China has a population of about 1.4 billion. According to a joint China, World Health Organization and UNAIDS epidemiological survey, there were a reported 650,000 adults and children in China living with HIV/AIDS in 2005.

Calypte is Lake Oswego, Ore., health care company focused on the development and commercialization of diagnostic testing products for the detection of sexually transmitted diseases, such as the HIV-1, and new diagnostic test products for the rapid detection of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, several of which do not require blood samples.

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