New UK supply contract for COVID-19 sample collection kits

EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc, the AIM listed point-of-care business, announces that it has received an initial order worth £3m from a partner from the private sector to supply PrimeStore MTM, a novel patented sample collection device, to be used in a COVID-19 testing programme for UK staff. This new supply contract is in addition to the $14.1m orders for the three-month period ending 30 September 2020, already disclosed in the 14 July 2020 update, and also covers the period ending 30 September 2020.

With increasing orders for the PrimeStore MTM sample collection device the Company has now established a second UK production line at the Company’s facilities in South Wales. EKF now employs 20 new contracting staff members to work on these production lines, which are able to produce 25,000 sample collection tubes a day. Further details on the expansion of manufacturing capacity was provided in the 14 July 2020 update and the Company can confirm that the PrimeStore MTM production line is now up and running in Germany.

The PrimeStore MTM sample collection device, deactivates viruses, bacteria, fungi and mycobacterium tuberculosis allowing safe sample handling and transport, greatly reducing risk of infection. The device was invented in 2006 in preparation for a worldwide pandemic and is designed to de-activate pathogen rapidly and stabilize the RNA for up to four weeks with no requirement for cold storage. In the case of COVID-19, by deactivating the virus testing can now take place outside of containment facilities opening up capacity in more testing laboratories. With the flu season approaching, the PrimeStore MTM can also safely collect flu and COVID-19 samples in the same collection kit.

Due to the continued demand for PrimeStore MTM, full year performance is likely to further exceed, and possibly significantly exceed, previously revised management expectations.