Genelabs Diagnostics Signs Distribution Agreement With

Abbott Laboratories GENEVA (PROTEXT) - Genelabs Diagnostics Pte. Ltd. (GLD) announced today that it has signed an international distribution agreement with Abbott Laboratories. The agreement, which takes effect immediately, gives GLD access to a wider customer base for their diagnostics portfolio. It also highlights GLD's commitment to making its tests available to customers who are not currently served through existing distribution channels. "We are very excited about this agreement with Abbott," said Mr. Eric Mun, managing director of Genelabs Diagnostics. "Through it, we gain a strong marketing partner which will support the market growth of our own product range. It also gives us the opportunity to realise the commercial potential of our products within a shorter time frame." The agreement focuses on Western Blot tests, which are normally used after initial screening tests to confirm the diagnosis of a particular disease. They can often reveal detailed information about the immune response to an infectious agent. In certain instances, the stage of disease can also be determined by Western Blot tests. GLD's Western Blot portfolio includes tests for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis C virus, Epstein-Barr virus and the bacterium Helicobacter pylori which has been implicated in the development of stomach ulcers. Also included in the agreement are GLD's supporting instrumentation and software, and its Hepatitis E virus enzyme- linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). "The broad scope of this agreement will further enhance GLD's reputation and market position in the diagnostics arena," added Ms. Birgit Fleurent, GLD's Director of Marketing and Sales. GLD's products complement those produced by Abbott Laboratories, giving the latter the opportunity to offer existing customers a wider product range. Genelabs Diagnostics Pte. Ltd. is an international corporation with headquarters in Singapore and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Genelabs Technologies, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of gene-regulating drugs. NOTE: Other than statements of historical fact, this press release contains statements which are forward looking and are subject to a number of uncertainties. Genelabs Diagnostics and its parent company do not undertake any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect events of circumstances after the date of this press release. ots Original Text Service: Genelabs Diagnostic Pte. Ltd. Internet: http://www.newsaktuell.de Contact: Birgit Fleurent of Genelabs Diagnostics SA, 41-22-788-1908, or fax, 41-22-788-1986, or bfleurent@genelabs.ch Subscribers please note that material bearing the slug "PROTEXT" is not part of CTK's news service and is not to be published under the "CTK" slug. Protext is a commercial service providing distribution of press releases from clients, who are identified in the text of Protext reports and who bear full responsibility for their contents.