Bio-Rad is the exclusive licensee of Institute Pasteur of Paris, France, under the HIV-2 patents. Under the terms of the sublicense, Chembio has obtained non-exclusive rights to certain HIV-2 patents from Bio-Rad, which will permit Chembio to manufacture and market a rapid test for both HIV-1 and HIV-2 on a worldwide basis under Chembio brands. Bio-Rad maintains rights to patents claiming the HIV-2 virus and various means to detect its presence in infected patients.
Norman Schwartz, president and CEO of Bio-Rad, said: “Bio-Rad continues to work with global partners to expand the range of available HIV diagnostic products. Granting a sublicense to Chembio for HIV-2 patents offers a new diagnostics option to the public health community.”