• World's first predictive diagnostic test for diabetic kidney disease to be sold in Great Britain under distribution deal with global diagnostic distributor, Apacor Limited
• Apacor will become the exclusive distributor for PromarkerD in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales)
• Estimated 4.8 million people or seven per cent of the British population live with diabetes, according to Diabetes UK - these patients could benefit from regular PromarkerD testing
• The UK's National Health Service (NHS) spends over £10 billion per year on diabetes, which is the equivalent to 10 per cent of its budget

PERTH, Australia, Nov. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Proteomics International Laboratories Ltd (Proteomics International; the Company; ASX: PIQ) announces it has today signed a distribution agreement with Apacor Limited to bring its PromarkerD test for diabetic kidney disease to patients in England, Scotland and Wales.

PromarkerD is a biomarker-based blood test that predicts renal (kidney) function decline in type 2 diabetes. Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a major complication arising from diabetes, and PromarkerD is the only available test capable of predicting the onset of the disease in patients with diabetes and no existing DKD.

The distribution agreement provides medical diagnostics company Apacor Limited with the right to sell the immunoassay version of the PromarkerD test. Apacor have 25 years of experience in medical and analytical diagnostics and specialise in bringing ground-breaking technologies to their customers. Importantly, Apacor have strong relationships with government and professional healthcare bodies across the UK, which the Company expects will prove invaluable for creating greater awareness and adoption of PromarkerD.

In the United Kingdom an estimated 4.8 million people, or seven per cent of the population, live with type 2 diabetes^[1]. The UK's National Health Service spends at least £10 billion per year on diabetes; equivalent to 10 per cent of its budget. Eighty per cent of the cost of diabetes is spent treating complications such as DKD. The number of people living with diabetes in the UK is expected to rise to 5.3 million by 2025.

The early diagnosis of DKD using PromarkerD testing in diabetes can help inform doctors' treatment decisions to improve clinical outcomes for patients, and could drive improved therapeutic interventions. Reducing or delaying the progression of DKD and consequently the incidence of dialysis and kidney transplant would result in significant cost savings for health care systems.

Apacor managing director Anthony Bellm said he was excited about PromarkerD and being able to partner with Proteomics International to bring the test to the UK.

"This world-first test offers huge benefits for the growing number of people living with diabetes in Great Britain, as well as significant savings to the NHS," he said. "The test will support doctors in providing early treatment options for high-risk patients, while avoiding unnecessary interventions for patients who are predicted to be at low risk of a decline in kidney function."

Proteomics International managing director Dr Richard Lipscombe said, "After extensive due diligence, we identified Apacor as a great partner for PromarkerD in Britain - they are well connected and we are already in contact with key bodies and opinion leaders to promote the test and bring PromarkerD into the clinic."

"The easy-to-use PromarkerD immunoassay platform allows hundreds of blood samples to be analysed quickly as part of a panel of routine blood tests and we expect this UK distribution deal to further drive global demand for the test," he said.

Proteomics International continues to target new markets for PromarkerD across multiple regions and is in advanced discussions with several major parties in other global jurisdictions.

About PromarkerD (www.PromarkerD.com^[1])Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a serious complication arising from diabetes which if unchecked can lead to dialysis or kidney transplant. PromarkerD is a prognostic test that can predict future kidney function decline in patients with type 2 diabetes and no existing DKD. The patented PromarkerD test system uses a simple blood test to detect a unique 'fingerprint' of the early onset of the disease by measuring three serum protein biomarkers, combined with three routinely available conventional clinical variables (age, HDL-cholesterol and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)). A cloud based algorithm integrates the results into a patient risk report. In clinical studies published in leading journals PromarkerD correctly predicted up to 86% of otherwise healthy diabetics who went on to develop diabetic kidney disease within four years. The PromarkerD test is CE Mark registered in the European Union.

Further information is available through the PromarkerD web portal. To visit the PromarkerD virtual booth please see:  www.PromarkerD.com/product^[2]

[1] www.diabetes.org.uk^[3]

For further information, please contact: Proteomics International enquires@proteomics.com.au^[4]

References

1. ^{^} www.PromarkerD.com (www.promarkerd.com)
2. ^{^} www.PromarkerD.com/product (www.promarkerd.com)
3. ^{^} www.diabetes.org.uk (www.diabetes.org.uk)
4. ^{^} enquires@proteomics.com.au (www.prnasia.com)