Nymox signs UK deal for NicAlert

US firm Nymox Pharmaceutical says that it has entered into an agreement with g-Nostics in the UK for the sale and marketing of its NicAlert. The company says its product provides a proven, easy-to-use, on-site means of determining an individual's level of tobacco product use or exposure. It gives a visual read-out of the level of tobacco use or exposure within minutes and requires no instruments to use. NicAlert received clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration for determining smoking status for medical purposes.

g-Nostics Ltd was founded to commercialize innovative technology in the pharmacogenetic sector. The firm currently offers NicoTest, a genetic test developed by researchers at Oxford University for determining whether a person is carrying a gene that predisposes to heavy smoking and nicotine addiction. The results of the genetic test allow g-Nostics to tailor smoking cessation programs to the individual.

Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention authored a study in the peer-review literature using NicAlert (Journal of Analytical Toxicology November/December 2005; 29: 814-818). In the CDC study, NicAlert measurements correlated well with the far more complex laboratory testing (liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry) used in the CDC laboratory.