ASX-listed Dotz Nano Limited (ASX: DTZ) has received an initial US$2.1 million (A$2.8 million) purchase order and entered into a distribution agreement with UAE-based Hygiene Links International General Trading LLC for itsCOVID-19 virus detection technology, known as the Dotz Test Kits.
The US$2.1 million purchase order is for a six-month supply of Dotz’s saliva-based and nasopharyngeal swab Test Kits for use in the UAE, Egypt and Sudan. Dotz will ship its Test Kits monthly with 50 percent of each monthly shipment fee paid upfront and the remainder on delivery. The two-year distribution agreement grants Hygiene Links the exclusive right to sell the Dotz Test Kits in the UAE, Egypt and Sudan, subject to Hygiene Links satisfying a minimum order of 50,000 units per month for a six-month period for each country.
Headquartered in Dubai, Hygiene Links is a leading chemical, plastics and consumables manufacturer and distributor across the Middle East with a large customer base within the healthcare market. The Dotz Test Kits are among the first of Hygiene Links’ new healthcare product offering, which includes personal protective equipment (PPE).
The purchase order and distribution agreement follow a successful blind clinical trial of the nasopharyngeal swab Dotz Test Kits in the USA. Dotz has obtained CE Mark authorisation for both its nasopharyngeal swab and saliva-based Test Kits, which clears the product for sale in the European Union and to the private sector in the UAE, Egypt and Sudan. However, additional regulatory requirements still need to be satisfied before the Dotz Test Kits can be sold to the public sector in these markets. Dotz is currently awaiting US FDA Emergency Use Authorisation for its Dotz Test Kits.
Dotz Chairman and Interim CEO Bernie Brookes said, “Our first commercial order within the diagnostic domain is a significant achievement for Dotz. It reflects the versatility of our technology, which has applications within almost every industry. We believe our virus detection technology is truly industry-leading, providing a method to accurately identify the SARS-CoV-2 virus at scale and in a cost-effective and timely manner. While we are awaiting FDA regulatory approval for the nasopharyngeal swab and saliva-based Dotz Test Kits, our successful clinical trial of the nasopharyngeal swab Dotz Test Kits and CE Mark authorisation has enabled us to start to engage with a number of potential customers. At the same time we are continuing to commercilise our anti-counterfeiting technology, and applying for regulatory approval for the Dotz Test Kits in other markets.”
The Dotz Test Kits are being manufactured in the USA by Systaaq Diagnostic Products under a non-exclusive five year manufacturing agreement. Under the agreement, Systaaq will export the Dotz Test Kits to UAE and will have capacity to manufacture at least three million Dotz Test Kits in the first 12 months.
