Concateno plc, Europe’s largest provider of drug and alcohol
testing programmes, has today announced an exclusive arrangement with
Merck
Specialities Private Limited (Merck Specialities), the wholly-owned Indian
subsidiary of Merck KGaA, to launch and market its Cozart products for
on-site drug testing into the Indian market. This represents a first for
India, which currently does not use road-side testing for drugs of abuse
to
enforce anti-drug driving legislation.
The arrangement comes as Concateno’s Cozart product line
became the first possible solutions for roadside testing for Drugs of
Abuse
to be licensed by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), the
country’s
central body for the authorisation of new drugs. The Cozart line, which
will
be exclusively distributed by Merck Specialities in India, includes the
Cozart(R) Drug Detection System (DDS(R)), the fastest, most reliable drug
testing instrument currently available worldwide. Cozart(R) DDS(R) is an
enhanced on-site saliva drug detection system that can take a sample
within
30 seconds, and reveal the presence of up to six different drugs,
including
heroin and crack/cocaine, in under five minutes. Currently, the limited
amount of drug testing conducted in India is mainly carried out by
forensic
or research laboratories.
“Our association with Concateno places both companies in a
very strong position to bring ground-breaking testing technologies to
India.
We believe that there is a strong need for advanced solutions in this
area”,
said Aman Bhattacharjee, Director, Merck Specialities Private Limited.
“Media
and public awareness of the problems of driving under the influence of
alcohol and drugs is at an all time high, and there is a considerable
demand
to step up enforcement capabilities. Implementing products such as DDS
will
give the Indian Traffic Police a powerful method of detection and serve as
a
powerful deterrent, revolutionising drug abuse testing at the roadside.”
As per the understanding, Concateno products will be
distributed by Merck Specialities’ Diagnostics division, which caters to
the
requirements of pathology laboratories throughout India in the fields of
Clinical Chemistry, Haematology, and Immunology. Established in 1990, the
Diagnostics division of Merck Specialities has built a considerable
presence
in the Indian market, with significant sales, distribution and customer
support capability.
Fiona Begley, Concateno chief executive officer, said: “Merck
Specialities and Concateno are a perfect fit - we offer the depth of
experience in testing for drugs of abuse, while they have an established
and
successful operation that addresses the specific needs of the Indian
market
with a customer base and product and service offering that is highly
complementary.”
An introduction to Concateno
Concateno brings together the
leading drug and alcohol testing organisations in Europe to form a global
first in the field: a service provider with the facilities and expertise
to
genuinely deliver test programmes to meet any requirement - from
point-of-care instant tests, through to state-of-the-art laboratory
analysis
for any biological specimen including urine, oral fluids, hair and sweat.
Concateno’s 300 staff support more than 8,000 customers
globally, and the group performs approximately eight million tests
annually.
An integrated network of more than 500 sample collection officers, trained
in-house in chain-of-custody procedures, supports clients around the
world.
Committed to the highest levels of accreditation and quality
assurance, Concateno works actively within the industry to improve
existing
best practice. This includes ISO 17025 (independently audited by UKAS),
ISO9001:2000, Link-Up, and ISO13485:2003. In addition, the company is
subject
to a range of external and internal quality assurance programmes.
Our strategy
Concateno’s goal is to be the top provider of drug and alcohol
testing services in the world, providing the best expertise and testing
resources in the field. With our own best-in-class products and facilities
that can supply across the whole range of test requirements, our strategy
is
driven by customer need rather than product benefit.
Concateno has committed significant investment to research and
development. Our joint development agreement with Philips (a diversified
health and wellbeing company) to develop a new oral fluids system is an
example of this commitment.
Excellent pedigree
Concateno is built upon the consolidation of Europe’s
strongest and most expert drug testing companies:
Cozart: long-established expertise in oral fluid instant
testing (including its pioneering Rapiscan(R) and DDS(R) reader devices)
and
the manufacture of laboratory Reagents and products - largely through its
wholly-owned subsidiary Spinreact, headquartered in Spain.
Medscreen: Europe’s most experienced workplace testing company with a
20
year track record in providing legally defensible urine testing to
employees
and the UK government
Altrix Healthcare: largest provider of oral fluids drugs of
abuse laboratory testing to the UK healthcare market. Complemented with a
blood-borne virus testing service and range of support services focused on
client treatment needs
TrichoTech: Europe’s largest hair testing laboratory with
unrivalled knowledge and expertise
Euromed: supplies a comprehensive range of point-of-collection
testing devices with a proven track record on quality assurance and
technical
support, underscored by its long-standing contract with HM Prison Service
Concateno
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