Pioneering medical technology company Proteomics International Laboratories (ASX:PIQ) reports it has secured a patent in Hong Kong for PromarkerD, which represents the world’s first predictive diagnostic test for diabetic kidney disease.
The Hong Kong patent is reported to complement those already granted in the USA, Europe, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Indonesia, Russia, Singapore, India and Japan, which together cover 64% of the world’s diabetic population.
The securing of the patent comes at a time in which the prevalence of diabetes is increasing worldwide, particularly in Asian countries, where 55% of the global population of people suffering with diabetes can be found.
Hong Kong is home to about 686,000 adults suffering with diabetes.
Speaking on the securing of the patent, Proteomics International Managing Director, Dr. Richard Lipscombe said: “Proteomics International already has patent protection in China and the granting of the Hong Kong patent, which includes pre-diabetes expands that protection. Hong Kong is an important gateway market and there is the potential for PromarkerD testing to be introduced there prior to entering the much larger China market.
“Hong Kong is an important gateway market and there is the potential for PromarkerD testing to be introduced there prior to entering the much larger China market”
PromarkerD can help prevent the need for renal replacement therapies such as dialysis and kidney transplant, potentially saving global healthcare systems billions of dollars a year.”
Proteomics International also notes that the Hong Kong patent is titled ‘Biomarkers associated with pre-diabetes, diabetes and diabetes related conditions’ and is valid until September 2031.
Proteomics International is headquartered in Perth, Western Australia and represents a wholly owned subsidiary and trading name of PILL, a medical technology company working on the frontlines of predictive diagnostics and bioanalytical services. The company’s recently acquired PromarkerD patent is a prognostic test that boasts the ability to predict future kidney function decline in patients suffering from type 2 diabetes and no existing diabetic kidney disease (DKD). During clinical trials PromarkerD successfully predicted up to 86% of otherwise healthy diabetics who went on to develop DKD within 4 years.
The PromarkerD test is CE Mark registered in the European Union (EU).
