Epoch Biosciences and QIAGEN Announce Global Marketing Agreement

Epoch to License and Supply MGB Eclipse™ Technologies For Gene Expression Products

08-Nov-2002

Epoch Biosciences, Inc. and QIAGEN N.V., today announced that QIAGEN will become a co-exclusive worldwide sales and marketing partner to the research field for products that incorporate Epoch Biosciences' MGB Eclipse™ Probe Systems for real-time measurement of gene expression. Epoch will exclusively supply components to QIAGEN and QIAGEN will offer custom and catalogue probe systems as part of its gene expression product offerings for sale to researchers in the life sciences industry and to pharmaceutical companies conducting internal research. Under terms of the agreement, QIAGEN received a non-exclusive license to the component technologies, and Epoch will receive undisclosed technology access fees and royalties on sales of catalogue products by QIAGEN. The companies expect to offer the first QIAGEN branded products in early 2003.

QIAGEN has a comprehensive and growing portfolio of products for real-time gene expression analysis that allow scientists to develop cost-effective analyses of gene expression patterns in less time. QIAGEN offers products for RNA stabilization, RNA purification, RT-PCR setup amplification and detection.

The MGB Eclipse Probe System is a proprietary probe and primer chemistry used for a variety of genetic analysis applications, such as gene expression profiling, SNP analysis, and pathogen detection. It is compatible with a very large existing, and rapidly growing installed base of real-time PCR instruments and reagent systems that have been widely adopted around the world and which are considered the gold standard in genetic sequence detection. The MGB Eclipse Probe System incorporates Epoch's proprietary MGB™, modified bases, and specialized dye and quencher technologies, and sophisticated easy-to-use software to support custom design and ordering of unique probe and primer sequences specific to the needs of individual researchers. As a result, the MGB Eclipse Probe System not only offers a competitive alternative for routine sequence analysis, it often outperforms leading chemistries for more specialized applications such as splice variants and problematic SNPs.

William G. Gerber, Chief Executive Officer of Epoch, said, "This agreement represents another validation of our technology by a bioscience leader. QIAGEN, recognized as the worldwide market leader in nucleic acid separation, purification and handling has achieved growth that has rarely been equaled in the life sciences field. QIAGEN's unique sales force has a proven track record with research customers in over forty countries around the world. With the addition of Epoch's MGB Eclipse products to QIAGEN's broad range of nucleic acid sample handling, separation and purification products, QIAGEN' customers can benefit significantly from valuable, complete solutions for one of the fastest growing segments of nucleic acid analysis: gene expression assays."

Dr. Ulrich Schriek, Vice President Corporate Business Development of QIAGEN, said, "We have a significant commitment to the real-time gene expression segment and intend to be a leader in providing our customers with integrated, enabling products that deliver quality results, speed and cost savings. The MGB Eclipse System from Epoch uniquely combines with QIAGEN's products to create complete solutions for the front-end biology of gene expression. The addition of MGB Eclipse products into new QIAGEN products will provide a new dimension to what is possible in gene expression analysis."

Epoch will be the sole manufacturer of MGB Eclipse probes and primers used by QIAGEN under the agreement and retains all other fields, including diagnostics, forensics, food testing and environmental testing including testing related to bioterrorism. QIAGEN agreed to meet undisclosed sales levels in order to preserve the co-exclusivity conferred under the agreement.

https://www.bionity.com/en/news/15628/epoch-biosciences-and-qiagen-announce-global-marketing-agreement.html