AZN AstraZeneca PLC

By Anthony O. Goriainoff

NetScientific PLC said Monday that its subsidiary ProAxsis Ltd. has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with AstraZeneca PLC for an antibody test for SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes Covid-19.

The London-listed life-sciences company said ProAxsis will complete the validation and global commercialization of a SARS-CoV-2 serology enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay developed at AstraZeneca.

"This highly sensitive and specific blood test makes use of simple and convenient fingerstick sample collection that will be well suited to large scale deployment and has the potential to play an important role in antibody analyses in large populations," AstraZeneca said.

The company said AstraZeneca will receive a royalty fee on future global net sales of the assay.

"The assay could if fully validated potentially attract a substantial market. It is envisaged that the validation and initial commercialization can be achieved largely from ProAxsis' existing resources," Chief Executive Ilian Iliev said.

Write to Anthony O. Goriainoff at anthony.orunagoriainoff@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 07, 2021 02:50 ET (06:50 GMT)

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