The Finnish company Biohit, established in 1988 and listed on the OMX Helsinki stock exchange since 1999, develops, manufactures and markets liquid handling products and diagnostic test systems for use in research, healthcare and industrial laboratories, as well as products for inactivating carcinogenic acetaldehyde in the gastrointestinal tract.
Biohit offers expertise in two business areas: safe and cost-efficient liquid handling and diagnostics / healthcare. Since its establishment Biohit has applied its aggressive innovation and patenting strategy for the development of safe, ethical and cost-efficient healthcare products and services. In January 2000, 20 new companies listed on the Helsinki stock exchange possessed 11 patents between them, whereas Biohit alone possessed 16 patents in Finland.
Gastrointestinal diagnostics
Gastrointestinal disorders are among the most common types of complaints made to primary care physicians worldwide and are associated with substantial healthcare and economical burden. Despite being one of the world’s largest therapeutic areas and presenting huge burdens to healthcare systems and economies globally, many of the diseases of the gastrointestinal tract are still poorly understood, and treatment options are far from optimal, leaving many patients dissatisfied with their current treatment.
In addition, the ageing of the world’s population increases the incidence of severe diseases, such as gastric, esophageal and colorectal cancers, dementia, heart attacks, strokes and osteoporosis, which cause a further increase in the burden for well-being and even pose a threat to sustainable healthcare.
Biohit’s diagnostic products and services, including the turnkey GastroPanel Laboratory concept, will have a substantial positive contribution on the solutions for the above mentioned serious medical, ethical and economic problems.
Non-invasive gastric diagnosis
The GastroPanel and GastroView examinations provide a non-invasive, patient-friendly, cost-efficient and reliable method of diagnosing a healthy stomach (the most important information for a patient). These examinations provide a reliable diagnosis of both Helicobacter pylori infection and atrophic gastritis (the loss of glands and function of the stomach lining) that may result from the H. pylori infection or autoimmune disease.
Very often symptomless atrophic gastritis is a high risk for gastric and esophageal cancer. Moreover, atrophic gastritis may lead to deficiencies of iron, vitamin B12 (a risk factor for dementia, depression, atherosclerosis, heart attacks and strokes) and calcium (a risk factor for osteoporosis and fractures) due to poor absorption. GastroPanel also assesses the risk of peptic ulcer disease and complications of gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Products to inactivate acetaldehyde from saliva
Acetaldehyde is a carcinogen found, for example, in tobacco smoke and some diary products, and may be produced from sugar and alcohol by microbes in the mouth and an acid-free stomach. The latter may be caused by atrophic gastritis and proton pump inhibitor (PPI) drugs. Biohit has developed products that inactivate acetaldehyde from the saliva of smokers (XyliCyst tablets and chewing gum), from an acid-free stomach (Acetium capsules), and from certain food products (BioFood method).
Capsules to neutralise carcinogenic acetaldehyde
The worldwide annual incidence of oral, pharyngeal, oesophageal and gastric cancer is close to three million, the five-year survival rate being less than 5%. Therefore, it is essential to improve early detection of these diseases by accurate diagnostic methods, and to minimise established risk factors such as acetaldehyde. Patients with acid-free stomachs are advised to use Acetium capsules during meals, because these capsules neutralise carcinogenic acetaldehyde in the stomach.
In addition to cancer prevention, XyliCyst may help to stop smoking by eliminating addictive acetaldehyde from the saliva of smokers. XyliCyst and Acetium have been classified as medical devices by the relevant authorities, which will considerably help their marketing worldwide.
Liquid handling products
Biohit’s liquid handling products include electronic and mechanical pipettes, dispensers and disposable tips, as well as pipette maintenance and calibration services. Biohit is a market leader in electronic pipettes and the world’s leading original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of liquid handling products.
High-quality gastric diagnostics products
Biohit’s products are protected by international patents and patent applications. The trademarked GastroPanel, GastroView and GastroSoft products all comply with EU regulations. Our R&D and manufacturing complies with international ISO 9001, ISO 13485, ISO 17025 and ISO 14001 quality and environmental standards.