Clever Culture Systems Appoints Thermo Fisher Scientific as Exclusive US APAS Distributor

ADELAIDE, Australia, Sept. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Australian medical technology company LBT Innovations Limited (ASX: LBT) (LBT or the Company), a leader in medical technology automation using artificial intelligence, is pleased to announce the signing of an exclusive Distribution Agreement for the APAS Independence in the United States (the Agreement) with Remel Inc., a part of Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (Thermo Fisher).

Key Points:

• Thermo Fisher appointed as the exclusive distributor for the APAS Independence in the United States
• Thermo Fisher is a leading provider of instrumentation and consumables in the United States microbiology market - APAS Independence complements their portfolio of clinical microbiology products
• Agreement has a five-year term, including service and support responsibilities

LBT's 50% owned joint-venture Company, Clever Culture Systems (CCS), has signed a five-year Agreement for Thermo Fisher to become the exclusive distributor for the APAS Independence in the United States.  This Agreement is a major milestone for LBT and will provide a footprint to scale sales and commercial activities in the United States which is the largest market globally, comprising over 1,500 target laboratories for potential placement of the APAS Independence.

The APAS Independence will be added to Thermo Fisher's existing portfolio of microbiology products in the United States where the firm has an established network of sales representatives with existing customer relationships across a large number of clinical microbiology laboratories.

Under the Agreement, Thermo Fisher will engage in sales and marketing, and related activities for the APAS Independence exclusively in the United States.  As part of the related activities, the firm will also provide installation, maintenance and support services to customers in the United States. 

The APAS Independence, which obtained US Food and Drug Administration clearance for its urine analysis module in 2019, is the first and only FDA-cleared automated culture plate reader available in the United States. The innovative technology uses advanced imaging and artificial intelligence to interpret bacterial growth on culture plates.

Christophe Fraudeau, President, Microbiology, Thermo Fisher Scientific said:

"We see a clear fit for the APAS Independence within our portfolio of microbiology products for the U.S. clinical market. Our customers need smart automation products that deliver real workflow efficiencies and the APAS Independence does just that by using artificial intelligence to provide active decision-making that reduces workload and enables laboratories to streamline their workflows."