nir-vana innovation network

This Israeli company was founded in 2004 with a business focus of providing rapid diagnostic solutions to the point-of-care (POC) and for self-testing. The company develops and manufactures its product in an ISO13485:2016 approved facility, and markets a wide variety of rapid diagnostic tests (RDT), leading in their adoption as first-line screening tools for physicians and patients. The company was the first to introduce rapid tests for strep A (group A streptococcus) diagnoses to Israeli pharmacies in 2004, allowing patients to purchase these tests over-the-counter (OTC) prior to visiting their primary care physician. This improved patient screening at the physician’s office, thus reducing antibiotic abuse, since a negative strep A result would enable doctors to avoid the administration of antibiotics to patients without a strep A infection. An additional goal was to shift strep A screening from centralized labs to the local point-of-care, improving HMO service when the centralized lab was inoperative (e.g., on weekends) or overloaded. The company’s rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) cover most common diseases and healthcare concerns, including: infectious disease, fertility, early markers of certain diseases, urinalysis and urinary tract infections, drug abuse, etc. Customers in Israel include all major HMOs, major hospitals, military, police, pharmacies and pharma sale networks, private clinics, and medical centers. Of the estimated two million strep A tests annually performed in Israel, around 25% are RDT, thereby validating the chosen business model based on patients assuming responsibility for their own health first, followed by ENT (otolaryngology) and family physicians' adoption and acceptance of strep A RDT as a reliable, first-line diagnostic standard. The company is currently marketing its first-of-its-kind, simple-to-use, innovative device, which provides an integrated platform for additional, single-step swab-based rapid diagnostic test development. Applying this new platform to strep A diagnosis reduces performance complexity to a single step, eliminating the need for reagent mixing and dispensing, thereby making it simpler and faster to use. The offered test is popular and used at the physician’s office, allowing the healthcare professional to focus on the patient rather than dealing with cumbersome test performance steps and procedures. The strep A diagnostic device is CE-marked and approved by the Israeli Ministry of Health, and is currently distributed in Israel and Europe. It has replaced the previous 3-step RDT product, being sold directly to patients and physicians through Israeli pharmacies. The test is widely adopted by ENT and family physicians. The company is constantly expanding its product line by improving its existing products and adding new ones to its portfolio. It is seeking distributors/agents/representatives for its current products (commercial agency, distribution services agreements) and original equipment manufacturers (OEM) of diagnostic products to co-develop additional applications for the core technologies under a joint venture agreement.