German bio-technology company Brahms AG has reached a cooperation agreement with a leading Japanese pharmaceuticals firm in the field of medical technology, a top executive disclosed. Brahms director of international sales, Rudolf Nothelfer, said that the Japanese firm is one of the country's leading pharmaceuticals companies, but that for reasons of confidentiality it could not yet be identified. The Berlin company is providing its patents for laboratory testing equipment in the cooperation. "The project has started. The transfer of technology is underway," Nothelfer said. The Japanese partner will be developing the German technology further to enable the equipment to be used in doctors' offices. With 260 employees, Brahms is based in Berlin, with a research center in Nimes, France, and sales outlets in Scandinavia, Austria and Switzerland. In 2000, Brahms introduced to the Japanese market a product for diagnosing thyroid gland ailments. "With our biochemicals we are able to detect anti-bodies in the so-called Basedow thyroid disorder," Nothelfer said, referring to a thyroid gland illness which is widely known as Grave's disease. "More than a million such tests a year are carried out in Japan." He said Brahms has gained a 30 per cent share of the market in Japan with its product. A further Brahms product is on the verge of being approved for the market in Japan after three years of testing by Japanese authorities, he said. The partner in this project is Wako, which is majority-owned by Japan's largest pharmaceuticals concern, Takeda. The product helps to diagnose infectious diseases and now accounts for 20 per cent of Brahms' total revenues. In the first three quarters of 2004, Brahms turnover was 34.5 million euros. "The approval procedures take too long and the testing by Japanese authorities is too time-consuming," Nothelfer said. "Japanese companies also make the same criticism."
