Cozart in abuse test deal with Philips

Oxfordshire, UK-based medical diagnostics firm Cozart has signed a joint development agreement with Magnetic Biosensors, a business initiative within the Healthcare Incubator of Philips Corporate Technologies, to develop a new biosensor system to test for drugs of abuse.

The collaboration is aimed at providing police forces and the drug testing industry with the next generation of saliva drug testing system with a lightweight hand-held saliva-based drug testing kit, enabling rapid detection of drugs of abuse in saliva such as cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine, ecstasy and heroin.

Under the terms of the joint development agreement, which will last an initial 18 months, Cozart will be responsible for the drugs-of-abuse testing product development and marketing.