Russian Neonatal Screening Laboratories to Boost Scope and Capacity with New PerkinElmer Reagents and Technologies

PerkinElmer, Inc. (NYSE: PKI), a global technology leader in Health Sciences and Photonics, today announced that it has signed a multi-year agreement with the Russian Ministry of Health that will expand the Company's position as the principal supplier of neonatal screening technology in Russia. This contract follows a recent decision by the Ministry to expand the number of standard tests in its national newborn screening program from two to five.

The three analytes added to Russia's expanded screening program are IRT (immunoreactive trypsine) for monitoring cystic fibrosis; 17aOH progesterone for screening adrenal hyperplasia, a hormonal disorder affecting the adrenal glands; and GAO (galactose oxidase) for monitoring galactosemia, a metabolic disorder that prevents the body from converting lactose (milk products) into normal blood sugar. Under the terms of the agreement, PerkinElmer will provide multiple Russian laboratories with its comprehensive screening solutions - including reagents, software and instrumentation -- for these disorders, as well as the two existing tests for hypothyroidism and phenylketonuria.

PerkinElmer's DELFIA(R) platform will be the cornerstone of Russia's augmented newborn genetic screening program. DELFIA is the leading system for screening of newborns for hypothyroidism, congenital adrenal hyperplasia and cystic fibrosis worldwide. DELFIA assays are performed using the AutoDELFIA(R) automatic immunoassay system, which provides results for up to eight different tests from one sample.

"This agreement is a direct result of PerkinElmer's long-term commitment to genetic screening in Russia," said Robert F. Friel, president, PerkinElmer Life and Analytical Sciences. "PerkinElmer is the number-one supplier of neonatal genetic screening technology around the world, and is pleased to strengthen its position as the number-one supplier in Russia, where more than 1.5 million babies are born every year."

With early intervention using simple and inexpensive treatments, progression of many inherited disorders identified through newborn screening can be delayed, or even stopped. Identifying diseases early, often before symptoms appear, can benefit the patient to a far greater extent than a response to a condition once it has developed. Approximately 20 percent of the world's babies currently receive some type of newborn screening, and approximately 65 percent of them are screened with PerkinElmer genetic screening products.