Osmetech plc (Osmetech) has terminated its US distribution agreement with Fisher HealthCare (Fisher), a division of Fisher Scientific company L.L.C, with effective September 24, 2009. Both companies have mutually agreed to terminate agreement which was entered in March 2009.
Osmetech has made the strategic decision to build its own direct sales force in the US with the objective of targeting key molecular diagnostic testing laboratories as well as clinics that have been established to dose and monitor the administration of certain therapeutic drugs. The company’s existing sales force, which is currently being expanded, will be further increased over the next three years as the molecular testing market grows and more high value tests are added to the company’s award winning eSensor XT-8 platform.
Commenting on this change in sales strategy, president and chief executive officer, Faiz Kayyem stated: “We believe that the most effective and profitable way for Osmetech to expand placements of our eSensor XT-8 units and associated test revenues is to market our products directly in the US through our own dedicated sales channel. This sales force will be relatively small in the initial phase but structured to allow flexibility in meeting the requirements of the dynamic and rapidly expanding molecular diagnostics market. It is our belief that the increased control afforded by a direct marketing effort will allow us to drive faster growth of our business and create greater value for our shareholders.”