Charlottesville, VA –– Phthisis Diagnostics has confirmed another new international distribution agreement, this time with the ELITech Group which covers the Benelux countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

Betty Polk, Phthisis Director of New Business Development and Global Sales, commented, “We are pleased to introduce our products into this area of the world as we continue to expand our international network. We have designed our Simply Molecular® products to fill gaps in the needs of today’s molecular diagnostic laboratories globally.”

The ELITech Group has defined its mission to improve patient care by developing market-leading diagnostic products for laboratories operating closer to the patient – the so-called “proximity” market – to enable physicians to more rapidly and accurately determine the course of treatment. The company has become a major contributor in advancing clinical diagnostics to laboratories in that market. A privately held group of worldwide manufacturers and distributors of in vitro diagnostic equipment and reagents, ELITech manufactures and distributes diagnostic products for clinical chemistry, microbiology, molecular diagnostics and immunology though direct sales and a distribution network encompassing more than 100 countries.

About Phthisis Diagnostics

Phthisis (TYE-sis) Diagnostics is a rapidly growing biotechnology company developing the Simply Molecular® product line, innovative molecular products designed for speed, accuracy, and ease of use. The Simply Molecular® catalogue offers solutions for nucleic acid extraction, molecular diagnostics, and laboratory quality control.

Phthisis develops enzyme-based extraction kits for rapid sample preparation prior to PCR applications in laboratories. This optimized workflow minimizes procedural steps, sample transfers, and potential for error.

Phthisis has just rolled out its new molecular standards product line – the G-Sphere° Molecular Standards – that will be officially launched at the upcoming 2012 Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) Annual Meeting in Long Beach, CA. This new line quickly follows the company’s second product in its Simply Molecular® line of enzyme-based extraction kits.

The company is also developing molecular diagnostic assays using PCR technology to detect intestinal pathogens associated with diarrheal disease, including Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and E. histolytica. For more information, visit www.phthisisdiagnostics.com or call 434-293-8180.

Recently, Phthisis announced a second round of angel funding and began signing distribution agreement for international sales in the spring. So far, the company’s product line will be distributed in Latin America, the United Kingdom and Asia in addition to Europe. Additional distribution agreements are in negotiation.

About Molecular Diagnostics

Molecular diagnostics is defined as the use of DNA, RNA and proteins to test for specific states of health or disease. Molecular diagnostic methods have been increasingly used over the past ten years to improve the sensitivity and speed of diagnosis in infectious diseases. Although their routine use has been primarily limited to the detection of pathogens that are difficult to culture in vitro, “real-time” methods, commercial kits, quantification, and automation will increase their use. Molecular diagnostic methods are now widely used for epidemiological fingerprinting of isolates of public health importance and increasingly being used by clinical laboratories to diagnose genetic and infectious disease.