Basque biotechnology company Progenika Biopharma, specialised in the development of personal medicine technology, has granted Grifols exclusive worldwide distribution rights for its BLOODchip® molecular biology product. BLOODchip® is used for the genotyping of blood donors to assure the compatibility between donor and recipient.

Antonio Martínez, CEO of Progenika, noted that “this distribution agreement ensures that our products will be properly marketed, and allows us to focus on the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic tools that improve quality of life.”

For Victor Grifols, President and CEO of Grifols “this agreement will allow us to strengthen our Diagnostic Division and consolidate our global position in the field of blood grouping with a new innovative tool that increases transfusion safety.”

The international presence of Grifols in more than 90 countries through the 22 Grifols affiliates secures the optimal worldwide distribution of this test. The new product line is expected to generate €50 to €100 million in revenues over the next 5 years. Although the use of molecular biology tests in transfusion compatibility is still at its early stages, its use is expected to become more widespread as a result of the hemovigilance and transfusion safety plans being introduced in many countries.

The BLOODchip® already holds a CE mark for marketing in Europe and has been developed by the Bloodgen Consortium, a leading European group consisting of blood banks, research institutes and Progenika Biopharma, SA., whose mission is to improve patient safety and transfusion compatibility by blood group and genotype.