Press Release 1 February 2005: Novel Diagnostics ASA today named Guido Guidetti as their President. In this new role Mr. Guidetti will oversee Novel Diagnostics’ international marketing, licensing and business development strategies.  Mr. Guidetti has spent over 26 years in various senior management and consultancy positions in major international health care groups such as Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Diagnostics, International Murex Technologies, Chiron Corporation and Apogent Technologies.

Christian Horn, CEO of Novel Diagnostics said "Mr. Guidetti’s track record is an ideal fit for Novel Diagnostics owing to his extensive experience in the commercialization of diagnostics products and services around the world. This includes major product launches in both the clinical diagnostics and blood transfusion market segments, the creation and management of diagnostic manufacturing facilities in the United Kingdom, the USA and South Africa, and the creation of subsidiary companies in Europe, Asia and Latin America. In addition Mr. Guidetti has a strong record in establishing worldwide distribution channels, negotiating product licenses and sell-offs including attracting investment capital. He was also involved in the sale of International Murex Technologies, a NASDAQ listed company, to Abbott Laboratories.

Mr. Guidetti has been a board member of Novel Diagnostics since 2001 and we are pleased that he has accepted this appointment. His experience is highly relevant for Novel Diagnostics’ plans to launch Genefec®, a test for the detection of genetic mutations for colorectal cancer in Europe, and for the market entry of Novel’s PlasmAcute® technology for the detection of acute phase infections and the application of the PlasmAcute® technology in the blood transfusion screening markets."

About Novel Diagnostics

Novel Diagnostics focus on early diagnosis of infectious diseases and colorectal cancer, with the PlasmAcute® and Genefec® technologies, respectively:

Diagnosis of infectious diseases in their early stage and identifying the acute phase of an infection is crucial for successful treatment and in limiting the spread of disease. However, for many infections including HIV and hepatitis a time lapse exists between initial infection and the detection of antibodies. Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT) has been shown to narrow this time gap, known as the window phase. Our clinical trials suggest that PlasmAcute® matches or surpasses the NAT technology platform in this capacity.
Colorectal cancer is common among men and women aged fifty and over, and has a high mortality rate. It is the second most common cause of death due to cancer in the Western World. The progression of colorectal cancer to a serious state is preventable through early diagnosis. Genefec® is a genetic, non-invasive test for the detection of sporadic colorectal cancer in stool and can detect premalignant colorectal cancer cases years before actual cancer has developed, which allows for early treatment of the disease.