Austell Pharmaceuticals starts as a new distributor of Biohit Oyj’s GastroPanel[®] test in South Africa
Biohit Oyj Press release 8th April 2021 at 13.00 local time (EET)
Biohit Oyj and Austell Pharmaceuticals have signed an agreement for the distribution of the Biohit GastroPanel® test in South Africa.
Austell Pharmaceuticals is a private owned South African company. It has been the fastest growing pharma company in South Africa for the past 5 years.
Austell’s CEO Suhail Gani: Austell Pharmaceuticals is indeed pleased to have reached an agreement with Biohit Oyj (Finland) for the rights to distribute the GastroPanel® test in South Africa. The GastroPanel® test has been validated in several clinical trials in different countries and has been used for years in many countries around the world. I am convinced that the rational use of the GastroPanel® test will definitely generate substantial cost savings in healthcare also in South Africa.
Austell Pharmaceutical was founded in 2005 with a clear vision of bringing on the market medicines manufactured in a responsible manner. According to Austell Pharmaceutical’s mission, the patients and healthcare professionals deserve the best available healthcare products, services and innovations. The company has developed market-leading brands as well as prescription drugs and self-care medications in South Africa since its very beginning in 2005.
Chairman of the Board, Osmo Suovaniemi, Biohit Oyj: We are extremely pleased by this start of co-operation, aiming to early diagnosis and primary prevention of important diseases in South Africa. The innovative Biohit GastroPanel®-test offers the possibility for reliable diagnosis of helicobacter infection and its associated or autoimmune-type atrophic gastritis (mucosal atrophy) among the patients suffering from dyspeptic symptoms as well as in screening of asymptomatic risk groups. This ensures a timely access of the patients into endoscopic or other necessary examinations and appropriate treatment (www.biohithealthcare.com /News/Links: GastroPanel innovation).
Conventional helicobacter tests fail to diagnose asymptomatic atrophic gastritis, which is a hidden risk for several nutritional deficiency states, and at worst can even increase the risk of untimely death. Atrophic gastritis or long-term PPI-medication lead to acid-free stomach, associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer as well as vitamin-B12, calcium and iron malabsorption, and if untreated, deficiency of both of those. Additionally the absorption of certain drugs, such as thyroxine, becomes disturbed. Acid-free stomach also increases the risk of pneumonia, and particularly among elderly people, also the risk of severe intestinal infections (e.g. giardiasis, malaria, Clostridium difficile and E. coli (EHEC). Also the propensity to severe corona infection can increase among these subjects (www.biohithealthcare.com/additional-information4).
There is no drug or vaccine for atrophic gastritis. It is reasonable to think, however, that the increased risk of gastric cancer associated with acid-free stomach could be possibly reduced by elimination of carcinogenic acetaldehyde born in acid-free stomach by a systematic use of Acetium® capsules (www.biohithealthcare.com/additional-information, www.acetium.com).
Additional information:
Chairman of Biohit Oyj’s Board of Directors Osmo Suovaniemi
Tel. +358 9 773 861, investor.relations@biohit.fi
www.biohithealthcare.com
Biohit Oyj in brief
Biohit Oyj is a globally operating Finnish biotechnology company. Biohit’s mission is "Innovating for Health” – we produce innovative products and services to promote research and early diagnosis. Biohit is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, and has subsidiaries in Italy and the United Kingdom. Biohit’s series B share (BIOBV) is quoted on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki, Small cap/Healthcare. www.biohit.fi