- AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with British life sciences company NetScientific for worldwide commercialization of its COVID-19 test, Reuters reports.
- Per the terms of the deal, NetScientific's wholly-owned unit ProAxsis will be responsible for completing validation and global commercialization of AstraZeneca's SARS-CoV-2 serology ELISA.
- In return, AstraZeneca will be entitled to a royalty fee on future global net sales of the assay.
- The blood-based ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) is conducted using a sample taken from a finger prick. It is highly suited for antibody analyses in large populations, according to AstraZeneca.
- "The assay could, if fully validated, potentially attract a substantial market," noted NetScientific CEO.
- AstraZeneca, the developer of one of the world’s most widely used COVID-19 vaccines is eying the development of booster shots, the company CEO Pascal Soriot revealed recently.