Advanced Biological Laboratories and PharmAccess enter licensing agreement to support PASER study

Advanced Biological Laboratories (ABL), S.A., and PharmAccess Foundation today announced the completion of a licensing agreement for the customization of ABL’s proprietary TherapyEdge HIV ViroScore Suite platform to support PharmAccess’ African Studies to Evaluate Resistance (PASER).

Advanced Biological Laboratories (ABL), S.A., and PharmAccess Foundation today announced the completion of a licensing agreement for the customization of ABL’s proprietary TherapyEdge HIV ViroScore Suite platform to support PharmAccess’ African Studies to Evaluate Resistance (PASER), as part of the LAASER-HIV/AIDS Program: Linking African and Asian Societies for an Enhanced Response to HIV/AIDS.

TherapyEdge HIV ViroScore Suite is a HIV-1 sequence database used by clinicians and virologists in over 36 countries to store, organize and analyze HIV resistance information and to link the clinical and virological backgrounds of individuals. In some settings, it allows for the selection of personalized optimal HIV antiretroviral therapy using antiretroviral resistance interpretation systems (six international expert peer reviewed algorithms).

“We are very happy to collaborate with PharmAccess’ dedicated, key-opinion leaders in their efforts to expand access to quality, scientifically sound HIV/AIDS care and treatment in the context of general healthcare in resource limited regions of the world, while continuing to strengthen the knowledge and the science embedded in TherapyEdge HIV ViroScore Suite technology,” said Jean-Claude Schmit, MD, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of TherapyEdge-ABL.

PharmAccess will utilize TherapyEdge HIV ViroScore Suite primarily for drug resistance surveillance and drug resistance monitoring. This will allow for identification of the major transmitted and acquired HIV resistance mutations in Sub-Saharan Africa, in the context of the various different African HIV subtypes. “Our alliance with ABL will provide state of the art systems which interface with our clinical database, to deliver optimal technology to Africa for HIV resistance interpretation purposes. This eventually provides the opportunity to African policy makers for informed decision making with respect to HIV resistance,” said Tobias Rinke de Wit, PhD, Director Advocacy, Technology and Research for PharmAccess. Inhabited by just over 12% of the world’s population, Africa is estimated to have more than 60% of the AIDS-infected population.

Two virology departments, one based in South Africa and the other in Uganda, will be equipped before year’s end with TherapyEdge HIV ViroScore Suite. They will centralize and process resistance testing for all samples received from several neighboring African countries. Subsequently they will link the resistance information of the PASER study to the clinical information system developed by PharmAccess, using a central server based in Europe. The HIV resistance information is collected in full coordination with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) HIV ResNet system.

>>read more on the PASER study>>

Contact Information
Chalom Sayada (CEO)
Advanced Biological Laboratories (ABL) SA
Phone: +352-2638-8941
http://www.ablsa.com

Tobias Rinke de Wit  (Director Advocacy)
PharmAccess Foundation
Phone: +31-20-566-7626
http://www.pharmaccess.org

About ABL, S.A.
Advanced Biological Laboratories (ABL), S.A., is a biotech company founded in 2000 as a spin-off from the European academic research center, CRP-Santé, Luxembourg and in 2004, merged with TherapyEdge, Inc. ABL’s expertise lies within infectious diseases, with particular focus on resistance patterns and clinical outcome predictors for HIV-1, hepatitis and human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. ABL was selected to supply the technology platform to support the SPREAD HIV resistance study in 16 countries and the EuropeHIVResistance (EU sponsored program) in 32 countries, and is actively participating in both private and public sector research. The ViroScore Suite and TherapyEdge systems are used in over 55 clinics worldwide to support optimal clinical care for individuals with complex diseases. ABL has offices in Luxembourg, South Africa, and the USA, and partners in Asia.

About PharmAccess Foundation
PharmAccess Foundation is a Dutch not-for-profit organization supporting sustainable quality basic health care including HIV/AIDS treatment and care in Sub-Saharan Africa. PharmAccess supports programs and offers services focused on strengthening health systems through building both medical and administrative capacity. Support is provided by:

• assessing and upgrading clinics, hospitals, laboratories, pharmacies and health insurance companies
• capacity building for medical, laboratory and administrative staff
• introducing health insurance
• mobilizing commercial capital for investment in health, and conducting operational research and monitoring and evaluation.

Specific emphasis is put on the quality of care, without which the willingness to pay for health care and health insurance remains limited. PharmAccess works closely with public and private health care providers, private insurers and companies. It links these private parties with public sector interventions and civil society through ‘public-private partnership’ arrangements.