NEW YORK (360Dx) — Akers Biosciences said today that it has signed a sales and marketing agreement with independent sales representative (ISR) firm Appleton Medical Services for its rapid test for heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT).
Akers Bio's PIFA Heparin/PF4 Rapid Assay is designed to quickly determine if a patient may be developing thrombocytopenia while being treated with the blood thinner heparin at or near the point of care.
Under the terms of the deal, St. Louis-based Appleton will provide sales and marketing support for the test and related products to end-users and prescribers in Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Louisiana, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, and Arkansas. Appleton will also provide sales and marketing coverage in certain areas of Texas, Wyoming, and Colorado not covered by Akers Bio's existing ISR partners.
Additional terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"A key goal for Akers Bio has been to establish broad independent sales representative coverage for our primary commercialized test, leveraging the specialized skills and relevant relationships of our chosen partners in their respective regions," Akers Bio CEO John Gormally said in a statement. "We are now represented by 55 sales people from nine organizations covering 39 states, which are home to over three quarters of the US population."
In March, Akers signed on Diagnostica Stago to distribute its PIFA PLUSS RF4 Rapid Assay for detecting platelet factor 4 antibodies in the US.