BioWorld International Correspondent

PARIS - DBV Technologies and Numico signed an exclusive, multiannual promotion and distribution agreement covering Diallertest Milk, the ready-to-use patch test developed by DBV for the diagnosis of delayed allergy to cow's milk proteins.

The agreement amends an existing distribution deal between the two countries covering France and certain other countries and extends it to the whole world.

DBV, which is based in the Paris suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt, is developing noninvasive epicutaneous diagnostics and immunotherapies for the diagnosis and treatment of allergies. It was founded in 2002 and released Diallertest Milk onto the market in June 2004.

The product is based on DBV's proprietary Viaskin technology for the cutaneous administration of proteins and peptides. Viaskin is a delivery system that retains the active compound on the carrier using electrostatic forces only. It can thus deliver active compounds to the epidermis of the skin without breaking the blood-skin barrier.

Using the technology, DBV has developed a pipeline of tests for diagnosing various allergies, including wheat, soya bean and dust mites. It also is developing Viaskin as a means of treating allergies through desensitization and for the administration of vaccines. The company said it is looking for partners to help move its programs forward in those areas.

Numico, a Dutch multinational company based in Schiphol, has been distributing Diallertest Milk through a subsidiary, Nutricia France, since February 2006. It claims to be "the only company to offer the full range of products for the management of cow's milk allergy." To date, it has sold some 70,000 of the DBV tests in France, Mexico and the Middle East.