Defense des hazards

The French ministry of defence has joined a growing list of European organisations using Igen International's biological detection products for security and biodefence

The French ministry of defence has recently purchased a number of Origen-based assays to detect bacteria, viruses and toxins that may pose a risk to public health.

The decision followed the successful evaluation of an Igen Origen 1.5 analyser at the G8 summit in Evian-Les-Bain, where it was used to monitor air samples for five different agents considered to be a threat, including anthrax.

Samuel Wohlstadter, CEO of Igen, said: "We are extremely pleased to meet the growing demand in Europe for high quality detection systems for biological agents.

"We are encouraged by the strong acceptance of our products by the European community and expect to expand our customer base as the demand for flexible, rapid biological agent detection technologies increases in both the public and private sector".

Origen-based products are available for Category A and B biological agents, including anthrax, staphylococcus enterotoxin B and botulinum toxin, and Igen is currently in discussions with a number of other European governments about its technology, including the UK, Germany and Spain.

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