S.Korean biotech firm Noul signs MOU with disease center of Ghana

South Korea's Medical diagnostics company Noul Co., Ltd. said on Monday that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ghana Infectious Disease Center on research cooperation to strengthen the country's on-site malaria diagnosis capabilities.

The Korean company plans to work with local partners in helping strengthen the West African country's malaria diagnosis capability in line with its government's malaria control program through the signing of the agreement.

With the latest memorandum of understanding, the two parties agreed to build up collaborative activities in stages for introducing the Noeul miLab Diagnostics Platform to local health centers.

The collaboration systematically includes essential activities necessary for introducing the miLab platform, such as product efficacy evaluation, clinical paper publication, local certifications and authorizations, and public funding. To facilitate this process, the Ghana Infectious Disease Center will work closely with related government agencies including the Ghana National Malaria Program.

Noul's CEO Lim Chan-yang said, "West Africa is the region where 55% of the world's malaria cases are concentrated, and Noul has secured the foothold to enter the Ghanaian market after Nigeria and Cameroon." 

The Ghanaian government is receiving support from international aid organizations such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the United States Agency for International Development, and Malaria Partners International for eradicating malaria, and the country's annual anti-malaria budget is about $84.2 million.

Write to Jae-Young Han at jyhan@hankyung.com