Biotrin International, an emerging Dublin-based biotech firm, has won the DHL Exporter of the Year Award 2003.
An Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mary Harney TD, presented the company with €5,000 worth of international shipments, a trophy and a cheque for €10,000 to invest in its overseas marketing programme at a ceremony in Dublin yesterday.
Biotrin International provides a range of proprietary tests for hospital laboratories, clinicians and research scientists. The company was founded in 1992 by Dr Cormac G. Kilty with the specific aim of delivering novel diagnostic technologies for niches that larger companies were not addressing.
Biotrin now has two distinct business units supported by strong patent positions: Infectious Diseases, which provides tests for the detection of new and emerging viruses; and Organ Damage, which includes a range of tests for the detection of novel, proprietary biomarkers to assess tissue damage.
Biotrin employs 64 people and currently exports its products to a total of 50 countries covering North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Exports account for almost 100pc of the company’s revenue. The company sells to the US through its subsidiaries in Germany and France and employs a network of over 40 distributors worldwide.
Last year, Biotrin announced that its management team had completed a successful buyout from its predominantly venture-capital based investors.
There were four runners up to Biotrin: Am-Beo, Atlanfish, Libra Designs and Shannon Minerals.
By Brian Skelly
