Home Lyme disease test ready for U.S., Canada sales

Arnoud Aalbersberg’s home Lyme disease testing kit is well on its way to hitting markets in the United States. The Dutchman is hoping to double the turnover of his business. Revenues from the Lyme disease test kit amounted to 7 million euros, mainly from Europe. 

The initial aim is to have the kit ready for sale in the States by 2016, but seems unlikely to become a reality, with 2017 seeming like a more realistic goals, Aalbersberg told Z24. A soft launch has however been planned for smaller chain stores next year. Special packaging requirements have now become the newest blockade for the businessman, coupled with the strict regulations of the FDA (Food and Drugs Administration) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The test indicates if the tick that has bitten you is a carrier of the Borrellia bacterium, the causative agent of Lyme disease. By stamping the tick into a fine tube and adding a few drops of liquid, test results reveal results as positive or negative to the Borrellia bacterium, within twenty minutes.

Aalbersberg received calls from the Oranje Trade Mission Fund after the accuracy of drawings tests was improved in 2014, with the goal of a global rollout for the product. The tick is considered an occupational hazard in the Netherlands, and causes many health concerns for soldiers, police and forest rangers.

Aalbersberg is said to be well on his way to a 2016 Canadian launch, and hopes to find multiple reliable distributors throughout the United States for the future success of the product