There has been talk of switching from PRM into Protherics in the belief that PTI will benefit more from the panic in the US regarding BSE. But the main alarm, from the US public perspective, concerns the vCJD that could result - particularly contamination of blood for transfusions.
PRM has a test for CJD/vCJD screening in blood banks which they indicated in 29th October Chairman’s statement was ready for commercialisation. Will not that, with the pressure from the US Govt, now become top priority?
On 24th November just after the government had learned of the latest vCJD fatality, feared to be due to a blood transfusion, Proteome said ‘it has signed an agreement today to enter into collaboration with the Medical Research Council Prion Unit("MRCPU") to identify differential protein expression in CJD and vCJD patients.’ Again I believe things have changed as to the priority of testing for CJD within haematology departments.
PTI (an interesting little company) have a test for BSE in dead animals. So have several other companies. How many extra animals will be slaughtered and then tested? How great will be the benefit to PTI?
The US company IDEXX, who have the BSE test licence from PRM for both LIVE and dead animals, is likely to get top priority assistance from their Govt in speeding up the test kits for BSE in live animals which they had planned for the second half of 2004. And with every cow in the USA likely to have a test at least once a year (quite apart from the rest of the world) I suggest the implications for PRM are far, far greater from the recent panic than they are for PTI – both from the CJD side and the live BSE test.
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