Genelabs Diagnostics Signs Distribution Agreement With

Abbott Laboratories GENEVA (PROTEXT) - Genelabs Diagnostics Pte. Ltd. (GLD)announced today that it has signed an international distributionagreement with Abbott Laboratories. The agreement, which takeseffect immediately, gives GLD access to a wider customer base fortheir diagnostics portfolio. It also highlights GLD's commitmentto making its tests available to customers who are not currentlyserved through existing distribution channels. "We are very excited about this agreement with Abbott," saidMr. Eric Mun, managing director of Genelabs Diagnostics. "Throughit, we gain a strong marketing partner which will support themarket growth of our own product range. It also gives us theopportunity to realise the commercial potential of our productswithin a shorter time frame." The agreement focuses on Western Blot tests, which arenormally used after initial screening tests to confirm thediagnosis of a particular disease. They can often reveal detailedinformation about the immune response to an infectious agent. Incertain instances, the stage of disease can also be determined byWestern Blot tests. GLD's Western Blot portfolio includes tests for humanimmunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis C virus, Epstein-Barrvirus and the bacterium Helicobacter pylori which has beenimplicated in the development of stomach ulcers. Also included in the agreement are GLD's supportinginstrumentation and software, and its Hepatitis E virus enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). "The broad scope of this agreement will further enhance GLD'sreputation and market position in the diagnostics arena," addedMs. Birgit Fleurent, GLD's Director of Marketing and Sales. GLD's products complement those produced by AbbottLaboratories, giving the latter the opportunity to offer existingcustomers a wider product range. Genelabs Diagnostics Pte. Ltd. is an international corporationwith headquarters in Singapore and is a wholly-owned subsidiaryof Genelabs Technologies, Inc., a biopharmaceutical companyfocused on the discovery and development of gene-regulatingdrugs. NOTE: Other than statements of historical fact, this pressrelease contains statements which are forward looking and aresubject to a number of uncertainties. Genelabs Diagnostics andits parent company do not undertake any obligation to updatethese forward-looking statements to reflect events ofcircumstances after the date of this press release. ots OriginalText Service: Genelabs Diagnostic Pte. Ltd. Internet:http://www.newsaktuell.de Contact: Birgit Fleurent of GenelabsDiagnostics SA, 41-22-788-1908, or fax, 41-22-788-1986, orbfleurent@genelabs.ch

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