Once it was said, "Think Globally, Act Locally"

On April 28, 2020, Lee Zeldin broadcast an email about Covid-19. "One local example is Chembio Diagnostics, a US company based in Hauppauge, that received approval under FDA’s emergency authority for a 15-minute rapid result antibody test. As they focus on widespread production, these tests are being used at Stony Brook University for a clinical trial that will help determine the effectiveness of using the plasma of recovered coronavirus patients in treating current coronavirus patients."

Never heard of ChemBio? And how did they get such fast approval from FDA, and, remarkably, the ease of partnering with Stony Brook University so quickly. Even a local research scientist proclaimed his disappointment to me, in not being able to get into his Stony Brook University lab. He too was researching immunology and plasma of recovered coronavirus patients. So what gives with ChemBio?

ChemBio Diagnostics address is in Medford, thought it's listed as a foreign business corporation, having registered in Albany County with legal jurisdiction in Nevada (see image above).

Chembio, "a leading point-of-care diagnostic company focused on infectious diseases, today announced the U.S. launch of the rapid DPP COVID-19 serological point-of-care test for the detection of IgM and IgG antibodies. These results can be obtained within 15 minutes from a simple finger stick utilizing Chembio’s MicroReader 1 and MicroReader 2 analyzers which are produced by Chembio Germany [2]."

Chembio is in Germany? According to Newsday, "Chembio Diagnostics Inc. has reached an agreement to purchase a German developer of test results readers for $5.5 million in cash, executives said [3]." The German developer is opTricon, headquartered in Berlin, Germany, is providing "opto-electronical instruments for measuring rapid tests, especially lateral flow tests. With knowledge and experience gained from over 30 years in the industry, opTricon aims to provide its customers with reliable, innovative, and precise measurement technology for medical diagnostics [4]," also see [5].

Surprise, surprise, Chembio Diagnostics is local, though incorporated in Nevada, with acquisitions in Germany and Malaysia (RVR Diagnostics), and "has products on the market in over 40 countries. [6]. Though a "US company based in Hauppauge," the story is much more complex. Today with Covid-19 lurking about,"Think globally, act locally and globally," is a better place to be.

References

[1] ChemBio Diagnostics - http://chembio.com/investors/contact-the-board/

[2] Chembio Diagnostics and Stony Brook Medicine Collaborate to Identify Coronavirus Survivors - http://chembio.com/news-and-events/press-releases/

[3] Chembio Diagnostics to buy opTricon GmbH of Berlin for $5.5M - https://www.newsday.com/business/chembio-diagnostics-optricon-buy-1.22318064

[4] opTricon - https://sonanano.com/optricon/

[5] Management - https://www.optricon.de/management-english.php

[6] ChemBio About Us - http://chembio.com/about-us/