STRONG MARKET SHARE GROWTH FOR FINNISH BIOTECHNOLOGY IN FAR EAST

- Turku-based HyTest Ltd. has established a solid foothold in China and South Korea

Recently, diagnostics has entered a strong development phase in Far East area. This development is mainly fueled by the local, constantly growing middle-class affording the cost of developed health services. Until 2005, the annual sales growth forecasts for In Vitro diagnostic products and related raw materials are in China 20% and in India even higher, 27%. In the area, especially South Korea aims to become a significant exporter of biotechnological products. This aim can clearly be realised in the rising demand of e.g. diagnostic reagents.

The strong development phase in Far East has also left its marks in the export books of HyTest Ltd. "HyTest's reagent deliveries to Far East, excluding Japan, have reached a historical 67% growth during 2002, clearly higher than the main growth figures in the area", says Jukka Lehikoinen, HyTest's Director of Sales and Marketing.

China and South Korea are constantly becoming more important as export countries. "We have had a very good experience to work with HyTest, and are actually thinking about the possibility to step forward our business relationship", says Ping Zhu, Director of U.S. Operations, KangChen Bio-Tech, China. John H. Kim, Director in the South Korean Standard Diagnostics, Inc., emphasises the importance of high quality of the reagents used as raw materials: "The fact that HyTest's Troponin I-T-C complex was selected as the international reference material further strengthens our trust in the ability of our co-operation partner to deliver the high-quality raw materials we need".

Coming from Turku, Finland, HyTest is one of the world's leading raw material suppliers for the diagnostic branch. The company was established in 1994. In HyTest's business concept, scientific research forms the basis for high quality production. The company is already a global market leader as a producer and supplier of some immunological reagents. HyTest's main customers are major diagnostic corporations and research groups in the U.S.A. Other important market areas are EU-countries, Far East and Japan.

Additional information can be obtained from mr. Jukka Lehikoinen, tel. +358 (02) 5120 903 or jukka.lehikoinen@hytest.fi
www.hytest.fi