Release
2021/11/29
OSAKA, Japan, November, 29, 2021 - Shionogi & Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Osaka, Japan; President and CEO: Isao Teshirogi, Ph.D. ; hereafter “Shionogi”) are pleased to announce that it has concluded a joint sales agreement with TAUNS Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Shizuoka, President and CEO: Masataka Nonaka: hereafter, "TAUNS") for its novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) antigen test kit products in Japan.
Based on this agreement, Shionogi and TAUNS will promote the SARS-CoV-2 antigen test kit "Immunoace ® SARS-CoV-2 II", which has been marketed by TAUNS. In the future, both companies also will promote an antigen test kit capable of detecting both SARS-CoV-2 and influenza simultaneously1, which TAUNS has currently filed for approval.
The novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) can rapidly become more severe even if it is initially mild, therefore a simple and accurate diagnosis is important early after infection. The statement2 issued last year by JAID (The Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases) recommended that, for patients with symptoms such as fever, both influenza and COVID-19 tests should be considered, according to the local epidemic situation in winter. Even this winter, depending on the epidemic situation with respect to both viruses, it is expected that the need for simultaneous testing will increase. Based on this joint sales agreement, Shionogi and TAUNS will provide products that meet the needs of medical institutions and patients.
Shionogi is committed to “Protect people worldwide from the threat of infectious diseases” as our key focus. We are not only pursuing the research and development of therapeutics, but are also working towards total care for infectious diseases, through awareness building, epidemic monitoring, prevention, diagnosis, and addressing exacerbations, as well as the treating the infection itself. As SARS-CoV-2 continues to have a major impact on people’s lives and to represent a global threat, we will seek to contribute to re-establishing the safety and security of society by committing to the rapid development and supply of vaccines and oral therapeutics, as well as diagnostic and pathogen detection tools.
About TAUNS Co., Ltd.
TAUNS Co., Ltd. is one of the largest companies of rapid infectious disease diagnostic kits, and manufactures diagnostics and research reagents applying various technologies and commercializes them domestically and internationally. In the field of rapid infectious disease diagnostics, which are our main product, we are widely recognized not only by hospitals and practitioners, but also by research institutes and bio-venture companies, as a company that provides high-quality products and customer service. Please see the company website for details. TAUNS Co., Ltd. website
For Further Information, Contact:
Corporate Communications Department
Shionogi & Co., Ltd.
Contact form: https://www.shionogi.com/global/en/contact.html
References
1. Novel Coronavirus and Influenza Virus Antigen Test Rapid Diagnostic Kit Notification of Pharmaceutical Affairs Application
https://www.tauns.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/20211117A.pdf
2. JAID statement “Preparing for the simultaneous epidemics of influenza and COVID-19”
https://www.kansensho.or.jp/uploads/files/guidelines/2012_teigen_influenza_covid19.pdf
Our efforts against COVID-19 are updated on our website as needed. A considerable amount of valuable information on COVID-19 from other websites is also summarized on this page, so please use it for reference: SHIONOGI website