Corgenix Medical Corporation Announces New Grants To Advance Work On Ebola Test Kit

Grants to support Ebola rapid test development awarded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Corgenix Medical Corporation (OTCQB: CONX.OB), a worldwide developer and marketer of diagnostic test kits, has been awarded two grants totaling $818,000 to advance the development of an Ebola rapid diagnostic test kit.

“The scope and seriousness of Ebola virus outbreaks have resulted in an increased urgency to bring testing and products to market as soon as possible”

The grants were awarded to Corgenix by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. Corgenix has selected three subcontractors to assist on the project: Tulane University, Autoimmune Technologies, LLC and Zalgen Labs, LLC.

“The scope and seriousness of Ebola virus outbreaks have resulted in an increased urgency to bring testing and products to market as soon as possible,” said Douglass Simpson, Corgenix president and CEO. “We thank the Gates and Allen foundations for their support and commitment to our efforts to accelerate the development of a rapid test.”

The Corgenix point-of-care test kit currently under development is designed to be used in any clinical or field lab to determine in a matter of minutes if a patient is infected with Ebola. Corgenix and the Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Consortium (VHFC), a collaboration of academic and industry members headed by Tulane University and partially funded with support from the NIH, have already developed the ReLASV® rapid test for the Lassa fever virus. The Lassa product is CE marked as a diagnostic test, enabling its use as a diagnostic product in Europe and other countries that recognize the European standard.

“Accurate, rapid, point-of-care testing will be critical to helping contain future Ebola and Lassa virus outbreaks,” said Robert Garry, Ph.D., professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the Tulane University School of Medicine. “This grant will help ensure that our consortium develops this diagnostic testing tool as quickly as possible.”

Current testing for the Ebola virus requires special biohazard handling and sending test samples long distances to special labs – a process that takes several days. This results in a critical loss of time to diagnose, treat and help prevent the spread of the virus. Development of the Corgenix Ebola test would enable rapid response to public health and bioterrorism threats posed by the deadly virus.

The Corgenix Ebola products are not currently cleared or approved by any regulatory authority for diagnostic use.

About Corgenix Medical Corporation

Corgenix is a leader in the development and manufacturing of specialized diagnostic kits for immunology disorders, vascular diseases (including the world’s only non-blood-based test for aspirin effect), bone and joint disorders and a line of unique detection products for viral hemorrhagic disease. Corgenix diagnostic products are commercialized for use in clinical laboratories throughout the world. The company currently sells over 50 diagnostic products through a global distribution network and has significant experience in product submissions to the FDA and other worldwide regulatory authorities. Additionally, Corgenix contract develops and manufactures products for key medical and life science companies in state-of-the-art facilities in Colorado. The company operates under a Quality Management System that is ISO 13485:2012 certified and compliant with FDA regulations. More information is available at www.corgenix.com (Corporate website) and www.corgenix.net (Contract Services website).

Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical facts are “forward-looking” statements (identified by the words “believe”, “estimate”, “project”, “expect” or similar expressions) within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Factors that would cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, continued acceptance of the Company’s products and services in the marketplace, competitive factors, changes in the regulatory environment, and other risks detailed in the Company’s periodic report filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The statements in this press release are made as of today, based upon information currently known to management, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements.

Contacts

Company Contact:
Corgenix Medical Corp.
William Critchfield, 303-453-8903
Senior VP Operations and Finance and CFO
wcritchfield@corgenix.com
or
Media Contact:
Armada Medical Marketing
Dan Snyders, 303-623-1190 x230
Vice President and Public Relations Supervisor
dan@armadamedical.com

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