14 February 2011: The Northern Ireland-based packaging machinery manufacturer, Sepha Ltd. has won a major, new contract to supply an international consortium involved in a ground-breaking water testing project called Aquatest. It involves the production of a simple, hand-held water testing device. The initial contract will see Sepha form, seal and leak test 50,000 blister packs containing Aquatest’s active ingredients. The company will use their existing innovative blister packing and leak testing technology in a newly constructed ‘clean lab’ at its Co. Down headquarters. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded project leaders, the University of Bristol, a $13 million grant to develop Aquatest.
Commenting on the contract Sepha CEO, John Haran, said: “We are delighted that our leading technologies have been chosen to ensure that this very significant and high profile project achieves maximum success. The capital investment in additional facilities and the creation of additional employment for a laboratory technician will enable us to actively exploit this niche with other companies who are looking for a solution to high quality, short-run blister packaging, and integrity testing.”
Under the terms of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant, the University of Bristol has set up an international multidisciplinary consortium involving various sub-grantees and subcontracted participants, including the Aquaya Institute, the Health Protection Agency, Path, the University of Cape Town, the University of North Carolina, the University of Southampton and the University of Surrey.
Thom Brain, Aquatest Project Manager based at the University of Bristol, commented: “Sepha’s expertise and their engagement with the project have ensured that we are able to develop a bespoke pack with all the special features that are required for it to perform effectively within the device. Sepha’s technical know-how and project management have also meant we have been able to move the project swiftly forward.”
Aquatest is capable of giving a reliable reading of water quality by detecting levels of e-coli present. It is expected to form part of the global fight against water borne disease – one of the most serious threats to child health in developing countries. The first batch of devices are expected to be distributed globally in late 2011 to NGO’s, aid agencies and governments in developing countries where demand is high for an inexpensive, reliable, simple to use water-testing device.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Michele Filippi, MF Communication Tel. 0044(0)28 90769428 / 0044(0)7717 436211
BACKGROUND BRIEFING NOTES FOR THE EDITOR
Picture attached:
032 & 053: Sealing the deal: Sepha CEO John Haran left with Thom Brain, Aquatest Project Manager, University of Bristol
About Sepha Ltd
SEPHA has been at the forefront of innovation since pioneering deblistering for the pharmaceutical industry in 1980. The company currently employs 20 people at its premises in Carrowreagh Industrial Estate and has a 20-strong agent network. It already does business across seven continents with some of the world’s leading pharmaceutical manufacturers. For further information visit http://www.sepha.com/
About Aquatest and the market for water testing devices:
- Aquatest will be the first off-the-shelf, low-cost and simple-to-use test that will detect the presence of E. coli, (the internationally recognised indicator of faecal contamination of water) without the need for electricity or skilled technicians. - The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that water-borne disease causes 1.8 million deaths annually, of which 1.5 million are of children under five*. Over one billion people lack access to safe water. Most do not even know their water is unsafe and are at risk of potentially fatal diarrheal diseases. (*WHO data taken from World Health Report 2004.Geneva: World Health Organization)
- Demand for an inexpensive, reliable and easy-to-use water-testing device is high in developing countries, not only from governments but also from NGOs and aid agencies. Emergency-relief operations dealing with the aftermath of disasters such as the recent floods in Mexico, the Asian tsunami and the Pakistani earthquake would also benefit from low-skill, dependable water testing carried out on the spot.
- Preparatory research on Aquatest was funded by the European Union’s FP6: Global Change and Ecosystems Programme.
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